One Man's Fun is Another's Hell
by WickedWolf'17
Summary: A broken wolf-pack can lead to unforeseen imprints, lusty situations, heavy heartbreaks, menacing danger & near-death experiences. Now, Brandi Saxon is forced to make a very difficult choice... Jacob/OC/Paul ::NO SLASH!::
1. No Ordinary Day

**This is my first Twilight fan fiction, and hopefully all goes well. Please, understand I've meant for what happens in this chapter to happen, and please give this story a chance, I haven't seen this idea been done anywhere else on the site.**

**Some quick background information (what I don't mention right here, right now, will be explained throughout the story) : this story takes place nearly a year after Breaking Dawn, part 1. Jacob _never_ imprinted on Renesmee, okay? That is all... enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Brandi Saxon could not describe herself as being thrilled upon arriving to the small town of Salida, Colorado, and rather, as she stepped out of her brother's car in the gravel driveway of his small, white and green trimmed house, a feeling of contempt washed over her tense body. She took in a deep breath, the cool air nearly stinging her throat, and her dark eyebrows furrowed as she stared up at the old, dirt-stained, seemingly one level white house. The neighborhood, if one could even call it that, was small, with houses unevenly spaced out randomly all around. Tall, thick pine trees surrounded the area, posing as a fence of sorts, and a narrow, two-lane road that led into town wound through the trees. Brandi stared at the dark green, front door, her mind racing, until the sound of her brother slamming the trunk of the car shut snapped from her daze.<p>

"Well, here we are," he said in a tone of voice that bordered boredom, and he stepped closer to his younger sister, her two large suitcases in either of his hands. "Ready to go inside?"

Brandi forced a smile and nodded, honestly ready to get out of the dry, random cold that seemed to have no business being there with the shining sun. She followed her brother, Douglas, up to the door, pausing behind him on the small, concrete porch as he set down the suitcases to unlock the door. As he did, Brandi turned slightly, her long brown hair blowing behind her in the slight gust of wind as her gray eyes roamed over the blue sky and various trees that surrounded her, making her feel as though she was trapped. If anything, she sort of was.

Finally, once Doug pushed open the door, he stepped to the side as he picked up Brandi's suitcase to allow her to step inside first. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Brandi stepped inside the house, her shoes loud against the faded wooden floor, and a noticeable shiver sprang through her.

"The heat must have shut off," Doug said as he stepped inside the house as well, closing the door behind him with his foot. "I left early to get to the airport. I've been gone all day."

"It's fine," Brandi said, trying her hardest to ignore the cold as she tried to control her desperate need to outright shiver. She took a quick moment to look at her surroundings, taking in the staircase that lead to the basement that was directly in front of her, the small living room to her left, and past the staircase was the entrance to what she assumed was the kitchen.

"I, um... hope you don't mind, but your room is in the... the basement," her brother told her somewhat nervously, and she could tell he was holding his breath as he stared at her, waiting for a response. Truthfully, she was less than thrilled about a room in the most likely cold, damp basement, but instead of expressing this to her already burdened brother, she smiled.

"I don't mind," she said.

"You get your own bathroom," Doug felt the need to offer with a forced smile of his own.

"Great."

Brandi followed Doug down the creaky, wooden staircase, the area getting colder and colder the lower they got. She stopped behind Doug as he reached around the corner to feel for the light switch, and Brandi held her breath, certain she would see a room with a stained, concrete floor, work out equipment in the corner, and a futon on the opposite end. But rather, once he snapped on the light, she was surprised to see the main room of the basement was more finished than it was drab and empty. A dark orange carpet covered the floor, on the wall directly in front of her was a brown couch and a matching lounge chair, and a decent sized TV sat against wall directly to her left, on the opposite end of the couch. Workout equipment did exist in the room, and directly in front of her, a couple feet from one of the couch's end tables, was a treadmill and various weights of all sizes. Clutching her purse closer to her body, Brandi followed Doug past the couch and TV and toward a small, dark hallway, the bathroom door located on the wall adjacent, and she stopped behind him again as he pushed open one of the two doors in the small hallway. He turned his body to face her and nodded toward the room, motioning for Brandi to step inside her new bedroom.

The room was a decent size, big enough to comfortably fit a queen sized bed, free of any sheets or pillows, a large dresser and desk, and the carpet was a dark tan color, the walls freshly painted a faded white. A small smile crept onto Brandi's face as she took a moment to be appreciative of her brother's effort in setting up her room, though she couldn't help but instantly feel the need to re-arrange the furniture. She kept this thought to herself, however, and turned to face her brother just as he set down her suitcases next to the door.

"Is this okay?"

"Yeah, it's great," Brandi answered truthfully. "I like it."

"Good," Doug said uneasily. "I know it's probably not what you were accustomed to at Grandma's house... but-"

"Really, Doug, it's great," Brandi assured. "It's perfect."

"You're a shitty liar, Bran," Doug said with a grin, and Brandi couldn't help but to grin back. "Alright well hey, the bathroom is out of the hall and directly to the left, and the upstairs isn't hard to figure out. I actually got to head back to work..."

"Really?" Brandi asked. "Already?"

"Those boats aren't going to clean and rent themselves, Brandi," Doug said with a sigh as he reached into his back pocket. "Here. Here's some money. Take the Civic, go into town, and get yourself some bed stuff, and... whatever else you need."

Brandi's lips parted as Doug handed her a wad of cash. "Doug, really? You sure?"

"Yep," he assured. "The civic idles a little funny, I still gotta fix that, but it's nothing to worry about. The keys are hanging on the key hook in the kitchen by the fridge, and I'll be back around nine maybe. Are you... good?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Brandi said with a grin. "Thanks, Doug."

–

After locating the keys to Doug's Honda Civic Hatchback, and after throwing on her black, zip-up windbreaker over her white tank top, Brandi headed out the door, making sure to lock it with the spare key Doug had given her, and she got into the car. The Civic reminded her of the car she drove back in Florida, small and easy to maneuver, and she took a moment to take notice of the vehicles interior, glancing at the worn, slightly torn seats and roof and crumb-filled floor.

The ride into town was short, no longer than five minutes from the neighborhood, and with narrowed eyes Brandi eyed the various small stores, all built together in single complexes that lined either side of the street as she drove down the two lane road, stopping at the occasional stop light. Despite her nearly frozen state as she drove along, she figured it was a rather nice day in the state of Colorado, for many people walked along the sidewalks, some alone and some in groups, and they wore bright, happy smiles on their faces. Brandi rolled her eyes at this. Clearly, the people here had no idea what truly nice weather was like.

Finally, after driving around, literally, in circles for another ten minutes, Brandi discovered a small corner store, a sign in the front expressing that yes, they sold cigarettes, and judging by the exclamation point at the end of the word, they were rather happy about it. Brandi sure was; ever since her flight into the state, she had been craving for a smoke, and with a relieved smile she parked the car in front of the building before checking to make sure the money Doug had given her was still in her pocket...

Jacob Black couldn't help but to grumble to himself as he marched down the street, a fifty dollar bill openly clutched in his left hand, and he stared ahead at the Safeway just beyond the park. Naturally, after waking in the late afternoon from another, mostly sleepless night, Jacob had walked into the kitchen of his cabin for a late lunch, only to immediately take notice of the lack of food all around. Nothing but grumbles and murmured cursing escaped past his lips as he went about the cabin, throwing on a plaid, button-down shirt over his bare chest and jeans as he went about scrounging up some money for a super quick grocery shop. It wasn't that he necessarily had actual plans that day, but surely a trip to one of the stores he absolutely loathed was not on his agenda. He just hoped that Gertrude, the over-friendly cashier, wasn't working that day.

But he came to realize quickly as he crossed the street, that fate was on his side that day, and if wasn't fate that had caused him to finish up the rest of the burgers the night before, to force him on an unexpected outing, then he didn't know what else to call it. Casually, as he paced by, arms swinging on either side of him, he turned his head to the right upon noticing the door to the small corner store opening, and he watched with tired eyes as a girl, clad in tight jeans, a white tank top, a black jacket and wispy, blowing brown hair, stepped off of the small wooden porch, repeatedly smacking a pack of cigarettes against her palm. This was no big deal, it was easy for Jacob to turn his attention away from a _smoker_, until his eyes met with hers, that is...

It seemed as though the world had stopped turning, and suddenly Jacob's breath hitched in his throat, his lungs and heart temporarily shutting down. He felt lightheaded, and as he easily stared into the girl's light gray eyes, images around her blurred out of focus, becoming unimportant, and all he could see was her seemingly, sudden perfect features. He didn't have to tear his eyes away from hers to notice the various tones of brown in her wild and wavy hair, how plump her pink lips were, or how her body looked rather approachable. Instantly, he could just _see_ and feel what it would be like to be next to her, to talk to her, and to spend time with her, and suddenly he wanted nothing more in the world than to do all these things. His heart began to beat again, and the longer he stood there, his legs weak and wobbly, his feet barely able to support him, the faster his heart began to race, and he felt his own lips part in overwhelming stress. But this stress wasn't like the kind he had grown so familiar with, rather he suddenly felt stress over wanting to be this random girl's _everything. _

_ No_, he thought to himself idly. _No way_. Could it be, that after _years_ of waiting for it to happen, especially after all that had happened back home in La Push, that he had _finally_... imprinted? It couldn't be, it was so random, so sudden. But then again, Jacob had never felt such an overwhelming feeling that literally left him breathless, and he felt as though a strong, invisible, physical force was pushing him toward the girl he had never seen in his life. He was still staring into her eyes, too far gone to notice the rather annoyed look she was shooting him as she stepped closer to her car, and finally, just as she reverted her gaze away from the random man across the parking lot, the trance was broken, but it seemed as though the feelings were growing stronger by the moment. With his jaw still unhinged, Jacob stared at the tires of her car in thought, bewildered by the sudden change of events. He wasn't sure if what had happened had just _really _happened, and while the feelings felt both intense, but natural, he decided, just for a minute, to accept that perhaps he _had_ just imprinted. Without his old pack around, he was free of the reassurance and cheerful jesters, he was completely on his own with this one, but as he stood there, watching as the random girl backed out of the parking lot and took off down the road, he wondered what, exactly, his next move was. How was he supposed to start this long path of destiny with a girl whose name he didn't even know...?

* * *

><p><strong>Please, fellow Twihards, if you love Jacob, (and Paul!) leave me some feedback!<strong>


	2. Fate, or Dumb Luck?

_What the fuck_? Brandi wondered sourly to herself as she drove down the road, away from the corner store. She cocked an eyebrow as she glanced down at herself, wondering what, exactly, had caused that random man to just stop, dead in his tracks, and openly stare at her. She straightened up her back to quickly glance at her face in the rear view mirror, and once she confirmed that her makeup was not smeared, her hair was not blown in some overly awkward direction, and her teeth were clear of any embarrassing food particles, her confusion heightened. _Whatever_, she thought sourly to herself, deciding to just ignore it. The man's staring only confirmed what conclusion she had made on the plane to Colorado: people in Salida were _weird_.

She pulled out a cigarette from her new pack and instantly light it up with the black lighter she had bought along with it, and she exhaled the smoke with a content sigh. Smoking had never felt so good. She continued down the straight road all the way until it ended at the entrance of some sort of park, and from there she turned right, looking for any store that might sell the bedroom and bathroom items she was looking for.

Finally, after a few moments of turning onto random streets, she found a small Bed, Bath and Beyond store, apart from the rest of the complexes, and she parked her car on the side of the road, by the curb in front of the building. Placing her half finished cigarette in between her lips, she double checked to make sure her cash was still in her back pocket, and she removed the keys from the ignition before stepping out of the Civic. She debated with herself over what color bedspread she wanted, but just as she stepped onto the curb of the sidewalk, removing the cigarette from her lips with her pointer and middle finger, she came to a sudden halt, her stomach dropping as she suddenly came to face to face with the man who had been staring at her. Her heart paced in shock from the sudden encounter, and she noticed finally that the random man was panting. Her jaw dropped in slight shock and confusion. _Was he following me?_

"Did... did you _follow_ me?" Brandi asked as she narrowed her eyes on the man's tan-colored skin, though the answer was both clear and obvious. She watched as his eyes dropped down to her hand that held the cigarette before he lifted his dark brown eyes to stare into hers, and he swallowed.

"I wanted to meet you," he said, his voice low and smooth. "Jacob Black."

He lifted a hand to hold out toward her, and Brandi eyed it suspiciously before she reached out to loosely take hold of it, and she gasped slightly upon the nearly burning impact of his skin. His massive fingers swallowed her tiny-in-comparison hand as he wrapped his fingers around it, and she lifted her eyes to stare at his face, her palm already starting to sweat. His hair was black, short, and had a neat styled ruffle to it, and his eyebrows were thick and dark. His jawline was muscular and prominent, and finally, after her eyes traveled over his thick neck and towering frame, a shock ran up her spine when she noticed he wore no other shirt under his current, unbuttoned plaid t-shirt. She stared for a moment at his ridiculously sculpted muscles -no one she had ever known in her life had a stomach like his- and finally, with her lips parted, she raised her eyes back to his, feeling as though an eternity had just gone by.

"Brandi Saxon," she finally introduced herself.

"Brandi Saxon," Jacob repeated slowly, though he had no reason to. It was a name that would forever be embedded in his memory. If anything, after first seeing her, he felt as though he already knew her name; she had just simply confirmed it. He finally forced himself to let go of her hand, and he grinned slightly at her slightly nervous and confused face. "So," he said causually, lifting himself onto the balls of his feet before he bounced back down. "You new to town?"

"How can you tell?" Brandi asked, still thrown off by the oddities of her first day in town. Jacob was about to answer, but he paused suddenly as he watched her take another drag from her cigarette. She noticed his furrowed eyebrows as she did this, and with a racing heart she lowered her cigarette and turned her head to the side to blow the smoke away from him. Jacob couldn't help but to smile over her polite act.

"It's a pretty small town," he finally answered. "And I've never seen you around."

"So, what? Do you like, know everyone in this shitty town or something?" Brandi asked as she took another drag, her eyes squinting due to the sun as she stared into his. "No offense," she added.

"Somewhat," Jacob said in a slightly nervous tone. Brandi nodded, and after she took the final drag she tossed the cigarette butt out onto the street, Jacob's head following the movement. She stared at him, confused, and she wondered what his deal with the cigarette was. More importantly, however, she wondered what his deal with _her_ was. Honestly, she couldn't help but feel a little creeped out, though Jacob's physical appearance was anything but creepy. It didn't make sense, but at the same time she couldn't stop herself from looking at him... studying him...

"Well, I gotta run inside," Brandi said finally as she nodded toward the mini Bed, Bath and Beyond store. "I have to buy some stuff for my room, and-" she paused, her eyes still focused on him as he smiled at her. For some reason, despite how random and awkward his sudden approach had been, she felt drawn in to him; interested, to say the least. How could she not? He had been so set on at least meeting her, she kind of wanted to know the reasons behind the action. "...unless you wanna come inside... with me?" She went on to ask, feeling like an idiot.

Jacob's smile widened at her bold, straightforward question. "Sure," he answered with a shrug. "I mean, if you really don't mind."

"I don't," Brandi said as she shook her head slightly. "I mean, people probably won't make the effort to talk to me, and it would be kind of nice to know someone in town other than my brother..." Her and Jacob stepped into the store finally, and Brandi glanced around, looking for the aisle that held the bed sheets and comforters all while trying to keep a more than respectable distance from Jacob.

"Why wouldn't they?" Jacob asked as he strutted along side her, and he turned his head to stare down at the profile of her face.

"I don't know," Brandi answered, feeling it to be somewhat easy to talk to him, despite her usual shyness. It still bewildered her, but nobody had ever taken such a sudden and strong interest in her. She felt sort of flattered. "Being new in town. No one cares. And I can guarantee no one will be as straightforward as you were." She looked over at him, grinning nervously, and she feared that perhaps she was coming off a little too strongly. She didn't want Jacob to mistake her as being eager and easy. Her guard was still up, and it was strong. Jacob, however, was grinning as he stared at the floor.

"I don't mess around, Brandi," Jacob replied smoothly as Brandi glanced away. "I had to learn thehard way that sitting around and _waiting _for something to happen gets you nowhere."

Brandi turned to him again, watching as he lowered his head slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed, giving Brandi the impression that he was remembering back on something. She ignored this, and instead headed into the aisle that held the bed sheets. She stopped, Jacob halting next to her, and she reached into her pocket to count out how much money she had.

"How long have you lived here?" She randomly asked in an effort to break the awkward silence as she glanced back up to Jacob just as he had glanced back up to her.

"About a year," he answered.

"Where'd you move from?" She went on to ask as she started looking over the sheet selection.

"La Push."

"La Push?" Brandi repeated with furrowed eyebrows as she glanced over to him. "What's that?"

"It's an Indian reserve in Washington," Jacob answered with a small smile, watching as Brandi's eyes widened slightly. "Home of the Quileutes."

"Wow," Brandi said, unable but to smile herself. "That's pretty cool. Why'd you leave?"

"Just... you know," Jacob started, tripping over his words. "It was just... time for a change. What about you?" He pressed on quickly. "Where are you from?"

"Florida, technically," Brandi answered with a slight sigh as she reached out to pick up the set of zebra print sheets and pillow cases. Jacob grinned at this. "I miss it," she added as they began to round the corner of the aisle.

"_Really_?" Jacob asked sarcastically. "I would have never guessed. You seem so thrilled to be here in this _shitty town_."

Brandi smiled. "Yeah, it's hard for me to hide my enthusiasm, you see," she added back just as sarcastically, laughing slightly along with Jacob.

"Well," he went on. "Despite your _sheer excitement _to be here, Salida isn't that bad of a place."

Brandi was shaking her head. "I hate it already," she moaned. "It's cold. And I've always hated the mountains."

Jacob laughed again as they slowly continued down the aisle. "Have you always lived in Florida?"

"No, I was born here, in the Springs actually, but moved to Florida when I was really little."

"Why'd you move back?"

Brandi grew silent, and Jacob turned to her, watching as she swallowed. "M-my grandma died," she said quickly. "So I moved here to stay with my brother."

"What about your parents?" Jacob went on to ask, only to immediately wish he hadn't when her face fell even more, and he watched as she awkwardly looked away.

"They died too."

"Oh," Jacob said quickly. "I'm sorry, Brandi, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine," she replied. "It happened a while ago, and..." she trailed off, suddenly feeling her throat close, and she quickly swallowed back the lump that had risen in it, deciding that it was probably best not to talk about it, especially to someone she knew close to nothing about. "Yeah," she finished, desperate to stray away from the topic.

"My mom died, too. A while ago," Jacob told her, feeling the instant need to console her and pull her out of her saddened mood. "My sisters instantly left the reservation after."

"I'm sorry," Brandi said as she turned to him, having a hard time believing the major tragedy she and this random guy had in common. She wondered if he was lying. Jacob shrugged.

They continued to slowly walk down the aisle, and Brandi let herself stare at the profile of Jacob's face, and once he lifted his head to look back at her she shyly glanced away, her heart starting to race again. "How old are you?" She asked.

"How old are _you_?" Jacob inquired back. Taken back by his counter question, Brandi glanced back over to him with squinted, confused eyes.

"Eighteen," she answered finally. Jacob's lips parted as he turned his head away from hers to face forward. What did he tell? His real, frozen age of sixteen, or his _technical _age of almost nineteen? He didn't _want_ to tell the truth, but...

"Sixteen." The word escaped past his lips anyway, though he didn't do much to stop it. He could feel Brandi staring at him, and he pictured her to have her mouth open, her eyes wide, and sure enough, once he turned to glance back at her, he was right.

"W-wow," she stuttered, truly surprised. "You seriously don't _look _sixteen. At all."

Jacob smiled. "Yeah, I get that a lot," he said. "And I can assure you that I don't _act _sixteen either."

Brandi immediately felt her face flush, and she quickly turned away, a shock running up her spine. It was amazing how much somebody's age could matter. Admittedly, despite their unexpected first encounter, Brandi couldn't help but be somewhat attracted to him, it was only natural. He was tall, clearly strong, and very handsome. But sixteen? This hindered things a little, and Brandi couldn't help it. _I don't act sixteen_, Brandi repeated Jacob's words in her head. _Yeah, right_. _Of course he'd say that... _

The shopping was finished quickly, though an awkward tension still lingered. It seemed as though they had both run out of things to say, and while Brandi felt a little uneasy, Jacob silently enjoyed it, and took the opportunity to watch Brandi as she finished up with her shopping. He picked up on the fact that she seemed to always chew on her lip when she was faced with a decision, and he watched her do this for a long minute as she tried to decide between a black bedspread with a neat, paisley-like pattern, or a fluffy gray comforter. During the majority of the silence, he noticed how her fingers were constantly toying around with something, whether that was with the rings on her fingers, or the corners of the packaged items in her hands. _Nervous_, he easily claimed the reason to himself.

Jacob wasn't sure, exactly, what she thought over his age, but he could tell that it had definitely thrown her off. He couldn't help but to be confused, however. If all the ideas about imprinting were true, and given all that he had heard Sam think about, then surely this age issue shouldn't matter. Jacob stared at the floor as they headed toward the check out lines, a few of the items he had offered to help carry in his arms, and he figured that it was best to just ignore the myths. All he had to do was prove to her that he had the experiences and wisdom of a much older man. _Easy. _But then again, if everything about imprinting _was _true, then why should he have to prove anything to her at all? Sam and Jared didn't have to...

The sun was bright as Brandi and Jacob stepped out of the store, and she immediately squinted her eyes as she tucked the left over thirty dollars into her pocket.

"Well, that's not exactly how I pictured on spending my afternoon, but it was worth it," Jacob said with a grin once Brandi turned to face him with a small smile.

"Thanks for helping," she said said as she reached out to take the other two bags from Jacob. He hesitated for a moment before handing them over, and she lifted her eyes to stare into his. Finally, he handed them over, and she immediately glanced away, trying not let the strain two extra bags had on her arms show.

"No problem," Jacob said. He opened his mouth, about to ask her if perhaps she wouldn't mind hanging out with him again, but it was not hard to detect how rather uncomfortable she not only looked, but felt as well. He quickly closed his mouth, reminding himself that it would probably be best to take things slow, and if it was true, fate would cause them to meet again, more sooner than later. He still couldn't explain the feelings he had or what had even brought them along, but he didn't want to make her feel any more uneasy than she already did. He knew that leaving, at this point, would be the best thing for them. "Guess I'll see you around, Brandi."

"Okay," she said slowly, unable to explain the odd _pang! _her heart gave against her chest. Her breath hitched in her throat slightly as Jacob's grin faded into a small smirk. "Thanks again." She backed up toward the Civic, and she fished her keys out of her pocket to open up the hatch back once she set the bags down on the ground.

"Of course," Jacob said, that same grin coming back, and without another word, Brandi watched as he turned his back to her to start back up the street in the direction she had first come from. She felt weird suddenly as she put the bags inside the car, and she wasn't sure why. An odd lump had risen in her throat, and as she got into the car she had a hard time swallowing it down. She couldn't explain it, but it seemed as though a part of her wasn't exactly ready to see Jacob go. It was strange to her; if he had been to strung on meeting her, why was it so easy for him to just turn and leave without so much as a suggestion to meet up again, or an inquiry for her number at least, not that she would give it to him. It was different, Brandi wasn't use to it, and most importantly she wondered why it bothered her so much.

She started her car, and after she rolled her window down, preparing for a cigarette, she threw the car in gear, only to suddenly pause, a shock running up her spine. Where _was_ she, and how did she get home? Her lips parted as she remained frozen, trying desperately to remember how she had gotten to her current position. She couldn't remember any street names, and glancing out of her window, she couldn't remember any significant land features. Everything was all the same: buildings and trees. She glanced into the side view mirror, her heart starting to pound against her chest as she watched Jacob grow smaller and smaller as he continued to slowly walk away from her car. It seemed as though her mind went blank, and she did nothing to stop herself as she turned to lean out of the open window to stare at Jacob's back.

"Hey, Jacob!" She called, and she immediately bit her lip. Instantly, Jacob stopped and turned around, and his superior vision allowed him to make out the small, embarrassed grin on Brandi's face as she leaned out of the window. A wide, genuine smile parted his lips, and he immediately jogged over to her car. He stopped at the driver side window and leaned down, his smile widening once he noticed she was still guiltily grinning at him.

"I... um," Brandi started as she glanced down, her face reddening. "I can't-"

"You're lost, aren't you?" Jacob asked, the answer obvious, and he stared into her eyes once she glanced back over to him.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I am." Her smile widened in unison with Jacob's, her eyes dropping to state at his perfectly white teeth before she raised them to look back into his brown eyes, the sun causing them to appear lighter.

"Alright," Jacob said in a low, amused voice, eager to help her. "Where do you live?"

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she _really _wanted to share her street name with him, but how else was she supposed to get home? It wasn't like she could call her brother right now, not while he was working. Jacob was her only option right now. "Hunt Street," Brandi answered finally, sure of her answer, for she remembered reading the street sign as her brother drove them back to his house from the airport.

"Easy," Jacob began. "You wanna turn right down here, and follow the road until you get to F Street. Turn left on East 4th Street, left on Park Avenue, then left on Hunts street."

Overwhelmed, Brandi closed her eyes as she shook her head, trying to remember. "Okay, so F Street, and the Park Avenue, and then-"

"No, East 4th comes before Park Avenue."

"And I turn right onto East?"

"No, left," Jacob corrected, laughing slightly along with Brandi once she opened her eyes to look back over at him.

"Fuck," she sighed, feeling lightheaded with stupidity. "I was never good with directions."

"Clearly," Jacob said. "It's not too hard to get lost. Most of the streets around here are _so originally _named in numerical order, and all typically lead to the same place." He laughed again as Brandi started to shake her head in disagreement with a frown. "Do you want me to... go with you?" Jacob offered. "I could show you the way, first hand," he added smartly.

It was different for her to accept such an odd request, but nonetheless she instantly started to nod her head. "Okay," she said.

"You sure?" Jacob asked as he tilted his head slightly, surprised that she had actually agreed. Maybe this fate stuff was real after all...

"Yeah," Brandi said as she nodded, smiling slightly again. "Get in." A mistake? She was unsure, but right now she really saw herself as having no other choice. It was either have Jacob go with her, or run out of gas due to getting even more lost, trying to find her way home.

Without another word Jacob instantly rounded the front of the car and got in on the passenger side. "Okay," he said as he shut the door. "Turn right up ahead."

Still unable to help but feel a little uneasy, Brandi followed his directions, and once she settled on a speed on the straight road, she settled the steering wheel in between her legs and finally pulled out a cigarette from the box. Jacob watched as she lit up, and with a frown he turned his head away to stare out of the window, only to suddenly glance back when Brandi spoke up.

"You can have one if you want," she offered as she held the pack toward him, and she glanced over to watch him shake his head.

"I'm good," Jacob said easily, feeling no desire whatsoever to accept her offer. He watched as she exhaled.

"Oh, I guess I should have asked before, but, do you mind?" She went on to ask with a small smile as she held up her cigarette with her left hand, her right hand back on the wheel, and she tore her eyes from the road for a small second to look at him. Jacob grinned and shook his head. _If it was anybody else..._ he thought to himself.

"Okay, cool," she said as she turned back to the road.

The stench of cigarette smoke filled the car, regardless of the open window, and the smell seemed twenty times worse due to Jacob's keen sense of smell. "How long have you been smoking?" He bluntly asked her. "Turn right here on F Street."

Brandi slowed the car and put on her blinker. "A couple years now," she answered. "Why?"

Jacob shrugged. "Just wondering."

–

The ride back to Doug's house was smooth and painless, thanks to Jacob's on-hand directions, and before Brandi knew it she was pulling into the gravel driveway. She had made an effort to remember the street names, directions they had turned, and landmarks, though she had much doubt in her mind over remembering all of them for tomorrow, or any of the days following.

Without a word Jacob instantly reached into the back of the car after Brandi had lifted up the hatch to pick up all five bags. Brandi smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and once she closed the hatch they made their way to the door.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Jacob asked with a grin, referring to his directions.

"Today, no," Brandi said. "Tomorrow and the days after, however, will be a different story."

Jacob laughed. "Hope you paid attention then. I'm not gonna be around all the time to help you _when_ you get lost." This was a lie, probably the biggest lie he had ever told somebody important. He could always, easily find the time to help her, he knew, no matter how trivial the situation was. But despite how badly he wanted to assure her that he _would_ be there to help her, he held the truth back, knowing that it wasn't the time for such strong reassurance. After all, they had only met today, and Brandi didn't seem like the type to take to such affection too quickly.

Brandi laughed as well, music to Jacob's ears. "I figured as much," she said just as she had unlocked and opened the door. Without thinking she stepped inside, only to pause suddenly when the situation caught up with her. She immediately turned around, surprised to see Jacob still standing outside on the porch. "Do you um... want to come inside?" She asked. Jacob's grin expanded.

"Sure, I mean if that's okay," he said. Brandi nodded, though her heart had started to race again, and as Jacob stepped inside she wondered if she had made a terrible mistake. She _had_ just met Jacob that day, as awkward as that was, but despite how nice he was on the surface, she couldn't help but to be a little skeptical. How could she not? Millions of 'what if' questions ran throughout her mind as she closed the door behind him, and she swallowed back the lump that had risen in her throat. But once she turned around, her eyes instantly falling on the wide, genuine smile on his face, it seemed as though all nervous thoughts disappeared. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason or another she just couldn't bring herself to worry about the situation of being alone. She was a horrible judge of character, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of just _knowing_ Jacob was a good guy. It was weird. Maybe it was because he came from a private reservation, if that had even been true.

"Do you want me to take some of those?" Brandi asked now, her gaze dropping to the bags Jacob easily held.

"I got 'em," he assured. "Just tell me where to set them, boss."

Brandi smiled, and without a word she stepped past him to head over to the stairs, and Jacob followed behind her as she began her descent. Upon stepping into basement, Jacob's eyes instantly fell on the exercise equipment in the corner, and he couldn't help but to smirk.

"Your brother lifts waits?"

Brandi rolled her eyes with a small grin. "He wants to," she corrected. "As far as I know he hasn't touched any of that. He always wanted to be all tough and strong, and look the part, but he could never stay motivated."

"Uh-huh," Jacob said, nodding slightly as he finally glanced away from equipment, just in enough time to watch as Brandi pushed open her bedroom door, and as they stepped inside she couldn't help but to immediately feel the urge to explain why her room was so plain.

"It's not much," she said in a low voice, watching as Jacob stepped further into the room. "Actually, it's awful," she corrected with a small, awkward laugh. Jacob smiled as he placed the bags down at the foot of the bed, and once he leaned back up he turned to face her.

"At least you have room for customization," he said. "Where I'm staying, I'm really not allowed to arrange or touch anything."

Brandi's eyebrows furrowed. "Where are you staying?"

Jacob hesitated slightly before he answered. "A... _friend_ of mine owns these recreational cabins not too far from here," he said. "I... haven't really found any place _permanent _yet, so he's been letting me stay there. I don't know how much longer that's going to last though."

"Why?" Brandi asked as she lifted two of the bags onto her bed to start digging through them.

"Because of Summer approaching, people tend to like the mountains best when the weather isn't so... severe. He's gonna need all seven cabins free."

Brandi nodded. "Oh right, makes sense," she said as she pulled out one of her new packages of sheets. She began to open it, only to suddenly pause and slouch her shoulders, and she rolled her eyes to the left in thought. Jacob noticed this, and his grin flickered a little as his eyebrows met in the middle.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he took a step closer to her. Brandi snapped out of her thoughts, and she shook her head slightly as she glanced over to him.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a small, breathless laugh. "I was just thinking about waiting to set this up until I can rearrange my furniture, but Doug – my brother- won't be home until late, and-"

"I can do it," Jacob offered quickly. "Just tell me where where to put what."

Brandi was staring at him, a blank expression on her face, and finally she began to shake her head. "No, it's fine, you've already done enough for me today," she said with another small laugh.

"Brandi, really," Jacob started flatly. "It'll take me just a few minutes," he promised. "I don't mind."

Brandi grinned slightly. "Alright," she said, realizing how much more odd the day got as it went on. "If you're sure." She watched as Jacob firmly nodded before she finally stepped away from the bed. "Okay, well I want the bed to be on this wall," she nodded to the wall adjacent of the door. "And the dresser next to it, in the corner. The desk is fine where it is." She nodded toward the dark wooden desk that sat on the opposite wall of where her bed was supposed to go. When she glanced back to Jacob, she noticed he was already starting to move the bags away from the bed with a grin.

–

Just as Jacob had promised, within a few short minutes, her room was arranged to her desired order. While it surprised her to witness the lack of strain on Jacob as he moved the heavy mattresses and large dresser, without removing any of the drawers, she knew, at the same time, it should have been a given that this would prove to be an easy task. Brandi was one of the few, rare girls to have never been swooned by large muscles, but as Jacob worked she could not stop her eyes from trying to make out the flexed muscles from beneath his unbuttoned shirt, and when she caught a glimpse, a very unwanted but very strong shock ran up her spine.

After the furniture was arranged, she and Jacob made small talk as she went about making her bed with her new sheets and blankets, all while Jacob leaned against the wall on the opposite side, watching her as she worked.

"It's a start," Brandi said once she was finished, and she stepped toward the bedroom door to observe her still very plain room. "Thank you," she finally said just as Jacob had stepped over to her. "For everything."

Jacob shrugged as they headed out of her room and toward the stairs. "Beats what I had planned for today," he said as passively as he could manage. "A trip to Safeway doesn't exactly... _excite_ me."

Brandi laughed as they climbed the stairs. "Yeah, I bet," she said. "How are you getting home though? I can give you a ride, if you want."

Jacob had instantly started to shake his head in the middle of her sentence, and once they reached the top of the stairs he stepped back toward the front door. "I can walk," he said. "The cabins are a good twenty minutes away from here anyway."

"That's like a forty minute walk," Brandi argued. "And it's getting dark." She stopped suddenly when Jacob laughed, and she wondered why she even cared so much in the first place. Maybe it was because she was still alive and not fearing for her life, a strong, but very welcoming conclusion. As the day went on, Jacob proved himself to be a genuine, good guy, and for this Brandi was relieved with her abnormal choices the situation had caused her to make.

"Walking isn't a problem for me," Jacob assured. "Besides, we couldn't have you getting _lost _again, now could we?"

"Guess not," Brandi said. "But... are you sure?"

Jacob didn't answer right away, and instead a sly grin spread onto his lips. "Tell you what," he began. "I'll be sure, if you promise to hang out with me again."

Brandi's breath hitched in her throat, and she couldn't help but suddenly feel lightheaded with worry. She wondered frantically if Jacob was about to ask her out on a date, and she instantly began to play through scenarios on how she would turn him down. _He's sixteen, _she reminded herself. _And I just met him. Fuck, there's just no way..._

Jacob immediately picked up on Brandi's hesitation, and he cocked his head to the side as he lifted up his hand slightly in emphasis. "I mean, you know. I can show you around town. It doesn't have to be considered a date if you don't want it to," he bluntly reassured, and he grinned when he noticed her let out a small sigh of relief, a gesture she had tried, but failed miserably, to hide. She smiled slightly.

"That would probably be pretty helpful," she had to agree. "What day is good for you?"

"Tomorrow?" Jacob asked coolly, trying to hide his eagerness. "Around maybe one or two?"

Brandi nodded. "Okay," she said. "Do you have- Or, where do you want to meet up?" She caught herself before she could ask for his number, for she was not prepared to suddenly be in such easy contact with him. But then again, thanks to her stupidity, he now _did_ know where she lived...

"There's a small cafe' across from the store we went to today," Jacob informed. "It's right across the street, so even _you_ can't miss it," he added with a sly smirk. "Wanna meet there?"

"The cafe' at two," Brandi said. "I think I remember how to get there."

"Awesome," Jacob said. "I'll see you then, I guess."

Brandi smiled with a nod as she followed him to the door, and as she watched him leap off the porch and start down the driveway she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for his having to walk home. She felt selfish suddenly, given all that this random guy had done for her that day, but as she closed the front door she reminded herself that she hadn't been forceful with anything. But now, as she let out a large breath, she had to wonder what, exactly, had she just gotten herself into?

**Thank you for the reviews and alerts :) please, keep the feedback coming! **


	3. A Rivalry

It seemed that by the time Doug arrived home from work later that night, Brandi got her first taste of what her new homely routines would be like. After Jacob left, and after she had familiarized herself with the rest of the house (which included a lonely tour around the kitchen and the small hallway that led to Doug's bedroom and bathroom) she had retreated back to the basement to start unpacking her bags. She sorted all of her clothes, putting them away in either the large dresser or the small closet, set up her computer on her desk, and arranged all of her toiletries items in the bathroom, making a note that the next things she'd be buying would be a rug and toilet cover for the bathroom.

Once she heard Doug get home, she calmly headed up the stairs to greet him and ask how his day was before she went on to ask him if he wanted anything for dinner. Doug had merely laughed as he hung his coat up on the wooden coat rack by the front door.

"Yeah right, Bran," he said. "You wouldn't even know how to _begin_ cooking the things I like. I got you frozen vegetables though. I don't know what else vegetarians like, so we'll start making a list for grocery shopping."

And that had been that. As Doug headed out to the small, wooden deck in the back to grill up a few burgers for himself, Brandi hovered over the stove, waiting for her frozen corn to cook fully before she sat at the table alone to eat, and by the time she was finished Doug was making his way inside.

Her first night was awkward, to say the least, but Brandi had to be thankful her brother had so warmly allowed her to move in with him. Where else was she to go? The accommodations weren't exactly what she would have chosen, but she knew in this situation she couldn't be picky. Her bed was comfortable, but with having to sleep in the basement, she found herself frozen, desperate to warm up under her new comforter. Fortunately, she had woken up feeling well rested and warm in the morning; she knew it would just be a battle to get to that state every night.

Now, after breezing through an easy morning, complete with a warm shower, a breakfast of leftover corn, and some further fixing up and arranging of her bedroom and bathroom, Brandi lit up a cigarette just as she plopped down onto the curb in front of the cafe' Jacob had specified to meet at the day before. Her car was parked in a parking spot across the street, and in a quickly made decision she had abandoned her car to wait outside, the air rather warm due to the shining sun in the cloudless sky. She took a large drag from her cigarette before she placed her palms behind her to lean back on them, and she tilted her head back slightly as she exhaled, her eyes closing. The sun beat down on her, the warmth of its rays taking her back to Florida, and as her cigarette burned away in her fingers, she thought of her grandmother's magnificent deck in the backyard...

Lost in the warmth and memories, Brandi became nearly oblivious to the truth around her, so much so, that she didn't even hear someone walk around the corner of the cafe' and stop directly next to her.

"Sun tanning on the curb of the street... _now_ I've seen everything."

Brandi jumped slightly at the sudden sound of a deep, sarcastic voice, and her eyes popped open. But just when she turned her head, expecting to see Jacob staring down at her, she froze as her eyes fell onto a completely different person, though the resemblance was impressive. His skin was the same exact tone as Jacob's, and he was the same height as Jacob, maybe even a little taller, but the guy who stood above her was most certainly not Jacob. This man's face was more angular and sharper. His lips were not as full as Jacob's, and they were pulled upward slightly as he smirked down at her, his nostrils flared slightly. Her eyes traveled up to his black hair, the length slightly shorter than Jacob's, though it was ruffled in nearly the same style.

She continued to gawk up at the man, trying to decide whether or not this guy was related to Jacob in any way, though what were the odds? Her eyes traveled down his body to quickly take in his black wife-beater and dark gray Dicky pants that had been cut into knee-length shorts, and as her eyes traveled back up she noticed the strange looking tattoo on his muscular right shoulder. Now, the man had cocked an eyebrow as he continued to stare down at her, and she finally cleared her throat.

"I, uh- wasn't sun tanning," she said as she leaned off of her hands, and just as she started to lift her cigarette to her lips, she paused, realizing that it was already nearly gone, and the end had more than likely touched the dirty ground. Her eyebrows met in the middle as she flicked it away from her, and she reached next to her to pick up her stray pack to pull out another one.

"Hey, you think I could get one of those?" The guy asked now, and just as Brandi had stuck the cigarette in her mouth, she turned her head back up to look at him. His head blocked out the sun perfectly, leaving a ring of golden rays to shine around it, shadowing out his still smirking, and perhaps even handsome face. Finally, she lifted her arm up to hold out the pack to him, her pointer finger holding open the lid on the box, and she turned away as she felt him easily pull a cigarette from the pack. She brought her arm back down before she finally came to stand on her feet, and she couldn't help but to steal another glance at the guy as she reached into her pocket for her lighter.

"Got a light?" The guy went on to ask now, looking at her, the cigarette in between his fingers, and with a small smile she handed him the lighter before she bothered to light up her own. She watched as he hunched his broad shoulders up as he flicked the lighter to life, and once the cigarette was lit he handed her the lighter, blowing out smoke from around the cigarette in his mouth as he did so. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," she said as she finally lit her own cigarette up. The guy kept his eyes firmly planted on her, and he unashamedly let them wander down her slender body, taking in for himself her tight jeans and white t-shirt, the bottom barely covering her hips. Upon wandering slowly back up, he eyed her slightly messy and wavy hair, and finally he glared back into her eyes once she raised them to look into his. He grinned a crooked grin.

"What's your name?"

"Brandi," she answered, her heart racing slightly, though she had a hard time making herself look away from him. It was still remarkable how much he resembled Jacob – his muscles were even just as defined – but the longer she looked at him, the more and more she began to notice subtle differences.

"Brandi what?"

"Saxon," she answered easily. "You?"

"Paul Lahote," he said smoothly before he lifted his hand to to take another drag from his cigarette. Brandi nodded with a small, nervous smile, unsure of what to say or do, and she finally glanced away from him as she took another drag from her own cigarette. Paul was able to sense how uneasy she felt, and her uneasiness only amused him more. "So," he spoke up finally, Brandi looking back over to him, her gray eyes bright due to the shining sun. "Where's all the action happen around here?"

Brandi smiled a small smile again. "I don't know," she said. "I only just moved here."

"Yeah?" Paul confirmed. "Me too. Well, actually, I haven't really decided yet."

"Decided what?" Brandi asked, squinting her eyes as Paul moved out of the way of the sun to take a step over to a light post, and he leaned his shoulder against the cool metal.

"If I'm stayin' here or just passing through." He nodded slightly as he glanced around, his dark eyes shiny. "It's kinda... _dead_ here."

Brandi laughed slightly after she took another drag. "Yeah, I know," she said. "Where are you coming from?" She asked slowly, not only truly curious, but also desperate to see if Paul had any relation to Jacob at all.

"La Push, Washington," he answered passively, and it took all Brandi had in her not to yell _a-ha! _out loud. "It's a, uh- Indian Reserve," he added as his eyebrows bounced.

"Yeah, I know," Brandi said again as she nodded. It was the same exact place Jacob was from, and she wondered what the odds of her meeting two people from the same, exact place were. "Why did you leave?" Brandi asked slowly.

Paul shrugged. "Just need something different for a change. I've lived on the reservation for most of my life. It's about time I got sick of it."

Brandi nodded again, and while she wondered what was going on at the reservation to cause its inhabitants to leave, she also anticipated Paul's next round of questions: 'where are you from?' 'Why'd you move?' And so on.

But they never came. Brandi had glanced away again, waiting for him to speak, but upon stealing another look at him, she noticed he was still smoking away on his cigarette, his heavy gaze fixed down the street. She cocked an eyebrow before she finally made herself look away again, and she took the final drag from her cigarette before she flicked it away from herself.

Meanwhile, Paul's eyes had wandered back over to Brandi, and as his dark orbs wandered over her again, he decided that he wasn't exactly ready to leave her alone just yet. He was new to town, and while the surrounding forest and mountains provided him with more than enough space to do whatever it was he wanted, perhaps pursing Brandi in town could be fun. He knew it would be easy; he had noticed the various glances she had taken in his direction. He grinned slightly as he finally tossed his cigarette away from himself.

"So, this cafe' any good?" He asked, watching as Brandi instantly lifted her head to look up at him. She shrugged.

"I don't know," she said slowly, feeling more nervous by the second. "I was supposed to be mee-" She stopped herself, a different part of her deciding instantly that she didn't want to inform him that she was supposed to be meeting someone. "I've never been in there," she finished instead, all while trying to figure out why she withheld the truth from him.

"Wanna try it out?" Paul suddenly asked, a shock running up Brandi's spine. Her jaw dropped slightly.

"O-oh, I..." She began searching for words, and as Paul's grin widened she began to feel like an even bigger idiot. Absolutely nothing made sense to her, it seemed as though her entire world had turned upside down upon her arrival to Salida, and as she continued to think of some answer to give him, she instantly thought back to her first and day night in her new city, feeling more puzzled than ever. Paul's grin flickered as his eyebrows met in the middle, and for some reason or another, he wasn't quite ready to hear her turn him down. He wasn't going to take no for answer.

"C'mon," he said. "I'll buy." He flashed a toothy grin at her. He waited for her to reply, to give in, but she continued to stare at him with a silly, partial smile on her face. Suddenly, Paul's grin faded, and he tilted his head up slightly as he leaned away from the light post before he straightened up his body. "Well, _I'm _starving," he informed. "You can stay out here and finish your tanning, _or _you can join me. It's up to you."

Without even so much as another glance to her, he started toward the double, dark green doors of the cafe', and in the reflection of the mirrors he could see Brandi had instantly turned her body to face him, and without even thinking it through she stepped forward, her mind making the decision for her without her input. Paul grinned again as he turned to her, a grin that Brandi mistook as understanding, when really Paul was amused over his easy ability to predict the silly, mortal girl's reactions. He kept the grin on his face as he held open the door for her, and with a small, slightly embarrassed smile of her own Brandi stepped into the cafe'.

The cafe' was small, dark, and quiet, and other than the woodsy décor, the first thing Brandi noticed was the '_Please seat yourself, a server will be right with you' _sign. Paul noticed this too, and after glancing around the area quickly, he stepped past Brandi to step up the two wooden stairs onto the main platform of the cafe'. With a racing heart, Brandi followed him, her fingers all entwined with each other as she played with her rings, and she wondered what had overcome her to follow him inside so easily. She was supposed to be meeting Jacob. She was supposed to go on a tour with him around the city to learn her way around. Nobody else was going to help her with that, so why was she now following this random guy to a table in the cafe'? What had caused her to make up her mind so easily?

Admittedly, she had felt rather attracted to Paul upon first laying eyes on him. While he had features that were similar to Jacob, a good looking guy in Brandi's eyes, but also not entirely her type, Paul was at least not as muscle packed, and his overall body image was slightly more slender than Jacob's. His angular face caused him to look tougher, meaner, and Brandi had to admire his 'take it or leave it' attitude, something she had always been wickedly attracted to, and a trait that all her past boyfriends had carried. It was still all so confusing, but Brandi would be lying if she said she hadn't already taken an interest in Paul.

But was the interest really enough to just abandon Jacob? Sure, he was only sixteen (though Brandi would have never guessed that), but he had proven himself to be the friendliest and most helpful person to Brandi in town so far. Continuing on her honesty streak, she knew Jacob had actually, really helped her tremendously on her first day. He not only helped her find her way a home, but had also offered to give her a tour around the city to prevent her from getting lost again. In just one day he had made it so plainly clear that he liked her, and would be there to help her. It was odd, but at the same time sort of comforting, in an awkward sort of way. But now, as Paul slid into a booth directly next to one of the windows, the view of the corner in which she had just been sitting directly outside of it, Brandi couldn't stop herself from sliding in on the opposite side of him. _I'll stay for just a little bit_, she decided as she took out her phone to check the time. _And then I'll meet Jacob outside as planned. No big deal_.

Paul instantly snatched one of the four menus on the end of the table against the window, and Brandi watched as he opened it to immediately start scanning the cafe's entree' choices. She kept her eyes on him for a moment, studying his dark, straight eyebrows and pointed nose, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach when he raised his dark eyes to peer at her from over the menu. Judging by the way the skin over his cheekbones raised slightly, she knew him to be grinning.

"Lemme guess," he began. "Just a soda, right?"

Brandi laughed slightly. "What are you, psychic?"

"No," Paul assured. "I'm just really in tune to things around me. Plus, I know how girls work. Chances are you won't eat anything until you've known me for at least a month. Maybe even more."

Brandi was still staring at him, even when he glanced back down to the menu to swiftly turn the page, and she cocked an eyebrow. Her heart still raced as the butterflies fluttered, but instead of shying away from his comment, like she mainly wanted to, she forced herself to sit up straight, not wanting to come off as passive. She liked him, and it seemed as though he had taken a quick liking to her as well. So, why not play it up? "Are you planning on staying in touch for that long?"

Paul lifted his eyes back up to look into her eyes, and he smirked, surprised by the sudden confident tone in her response. "Maybe," he said, his voice taunting, and his smirk expanded into a grin while Brandi smiled. His eyes quickly dropped down to her plump lips before he finally glanced back down to the menu.

Brandi felt her skin turn hot, her face reddening, and she glanced out of the window to stare at a couple as they walked by, hand in hand. Across from her, Paul folded up the menu before placing it back in its holder, and suddenly Brandi heard an unfamiliar female voice behind her.

"Hey," the waitress greeted. "My name is Rachel, and I'll be your server." She was looking directly at Paul and smiling widely. "What can I get you?"

Paul reverted his eyes to Brandi, and he nodded at her, signaling to Rachel that Brandi was going to order before him. Brandi smiled at his rather polite gesture, and she glanced up to look at their waitress.

"Can I get a Sprite?" She ordered, and she watched as Rachel nodded with a smile, and she turned to Paul when Brandi turned silent. Paul was smirking at her again.

"Love to say I told you so," he said smugly before he glanced up to the waitress. "I'll have the BLT sandwich with everything on it. A side of fries."

"And to drink?" Rachel asked after she jotted down his order.

"Water, no ice," he replied smoothly.

"Sounds great, I'll have that right out." Rachel flashed him another smile before she started away from the table and toward the kitchen.

Brandi watched her go with clouded eyes before her attention was reverted away by the sound of Paul placing his elbows onto the table, and when she glanced back over to him she saw he was looking directly into her eyes. She waited for him to say something – anything – but he never did, and the longer he stared at her in silence, the more uneasy Brandi began to feel. Paul sensed this, and Brandi watched, confused, as another amused smirk found his face, and she glanced away finally, wondering nervously what he was grinning at. The lights above her head seemed really hot suddenly...

"So," she finally began, her eyes still focused out of the window. "If you stay here, where you gonna like, you know. Live?"

Paul took in a deep breath as he leaned back, his arms still stretched in front of him on the table, and when Brandi glanced back over to him she couldn't help but to let her eyes roam up his right arm. They lingered on his tattoo for a second before she finally looked into his own eyes just as Paul shrugged.

"Not sure," he said. "I only just got here today."

Brandi's eyebrows met in the middle. "Oh," she said. "Did you fly?"

"Nope."

"Drive?"

"Not really."

_Not really_? What other ways were there then? She was just about to ask him to specify, but she paused when Rachel stepped up to their table to set down their drinks. She set down Paul's water first, and as she set down Brandi's Sprite, she watched him as he instantly picked up the glass of water to literally pour the liquid down his throat. He set the glass back down onto the table with a loud _clang! _just as Rachel reached into her pocket to set down two straws. She paused when she noticed the empty glass, and she raised her brown eyes to look at Paul's grinning face.

"Can I get more water?" He asked her. Brandi couldn't help but to grin.

"Sure," Rachel said with a small smile. "I'll be right back," she added, her eyes dropping back down to the empty glass.

"Well, however you got here," Brandi started as she tore off the wrapper on her straw, that confident tone back in her voice, Paul noticed, "it sure as hell left you thirsty."

"You're _damn_ right," Paul assured as he leaned back again, and the look on his face clearly expressed that he knew something that Brandi did not. She kept her mouth shut now, however, deciding that Paul would only beat around the bush more if she was to question him further on his travels. So instead, with giving up easily, she decided to just deal with the silence that she knew would be ahead, and once Rachel dropped off another glass of water, she watched in the corner of her eye as Paul took another large sip, though this time he set the glass back down onto the table, still half full.

This morning had been different for Jacob Black. Rather than waking up to a sun that shone too brightly through his blinds, and knowing a day full of angry and left over annoyed thoughts stretched out before him, he woke up feeling very well rested, and very eager to see Brandi Saxon again. Rather than a night full of taunting memories, his mind was at ease as he remembered back on the day before. As he walked down the street, his body was not sore and weak, and instead felt rather rejuvenated. Finally, after all that had happened it seemed life was looking up for him, and while he still had a rather difficult time accepting what happened the day before as truth and the cause of this sudden uplift, all he could do was accept it. He couldn't help the rather excited bounce in his step, and he couldn't help but continue to think about Brandi as he continued along the sidewalk to the cafe'. He had a clear image of her bedroom and house in his mind, and he wondered what she had done once he had left for home. What time did her brother come home? Had she been at all nervous, being left alone like that? Was she that type of person? Had she gotten a good night sleep, or had the day proven to be too stressful for her? Was she the type of person to allow stress to weigh her down, or did she have more of a carefree personality? There was so much about her that Jacob was desperate to know, and he couldn't help but to look forward to learning all of it. Never in his life had he been so curious and desperate for answers. It was odd, but at the same, a rather nice feeling.

Finally, in the near distance, he noticed her car parked in nearly the same spot as yesterday in front of the store on the opposite side of the street, but as he neared the cafe', he noticed quickly that she was not in the car, nor anywhere outside around it. His eyebrows met in the middle slightly as he approached the corner she had previously been sitting at, and a freezing shock suddenly ran up his spine, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. His eyes dropped to the sidewalk in concentration as he took a deep breath in, the scent much, _much _too familiar, and he noticed quickly that this familiar scent was mixed in deeply with Brandi's aroma of cherry shampoo. His lips parted as his head spun slightly, and finally he lifted his eyes up to glance into the windows of the cafe', and it just so happened he picked the correct one to look in to. Through the tinted glass, he could easily make out Paul's smirking face as he spoke, and though he could only see the majority of the back of her head, Jacob knew he'd recognize Brandi anywhere and at any angle. His lips closed, thinning as he sucked them back in sudden annoyance, and with clenched fists he immediately started toward the doors of the cafe' to throw them open and step inside.

Inside the cafe', Brandi continued to laugh at Paul's story, a funny tale about one of his friends back on the reservation, and even as Rachel came by the table again to drop off Paul's third glass of water, he easily ignored her as he finished up, Brandi's cheeks red, her smile stuck on her face. It was bewildering to her how quickly a conversation had started, Paul jumping into his story directly after Brandi had made a small comment on her strong distaste for meat, but regardless, she was excited about it, and found herself truly engulfed in Paul's story, his happy expression and tone of voice nearly intoxicating. But she was so wrapped up in Paul's tale, and studying his facial expression and the way his lips moved when he talked, that she failed to even realize an angry Jacob storm over to their table, and she jumped slightly once she turned her head to look at up him, after noticing something in the corner of her eye. Her jaw dropped, her eyes went wide, her heart raced again, but almost as quickly as these emotions came on, she realized instantly she had nothing to be nervous about. She wasn't necessarily doing anything wrong, and she still had full intentions on taking Jacob up on his offer for that day. But finally, as she continued to stare up at him, she realized his heavy and peeved gaze was fixated on Paul, who had instantly stopped talking. Now, with confusion clouded in her eyes, she glanced back to Paul, and she noticed his grin had faded as he stared up at Jacob. She glanced back up to Jacob now, finding it amazing how much stronger the resemblance between them looked now, in real time, and she wondered why Jacob was so upset, and most importantly, why he was directing it all toward Paul...

Jacob's lips were still thinned, his eyebrows lying flat over his eyes in annoyance. "Paul," he finally spoke, a biting tone to his voice.

"Jacob," Paul replied, that same, snarling grin spreading his lips as he cocked an eyebrow. Brandi's eyes widened again, and she glanced back to Paul.

"Wait," she had to interrupt. "You two know each other?" The answer was obvious, supposedly they were from the same reservation, their physical attributes expressed they were from the same tribe, but she still had a hard time accepting the oddity of meeting them both, at practically the same time.

"Unfortunately," Jacob finally answered her, and she couldn't help but to glance back up at him. He was totally different right now, to the point where Brandi could say she almost didn't recognize him. The day before he had been so nice, so eager to help, and had worn that same, genuine smile on his face all day. But now, his lips were thinned and pulled back in agitation, his eyes glossed over and hard, his persona stiff and defensive, and it seemed to all be brought on by Paul.

But Paul's body remained relaxed and amused, and he easily held Jacob's eye contact as he continued to smirk at him, his nostrils slightly flared as he stared at him from under the ridge of his eyebrows. "Aw, don't be like that _Jake_," he said. "It's nice to see you, too."

"What are you _doing _here, Paul?" Jacob ignored him, his gaze still burning, and Brandi noticed how thick the tension was getting. But before Paul could answer, if he was even going to at all, Rachel approached the table again with Paul's giant sandwich, and another glass of ice-less water. Brandi watched as Jacob barely turned his head to look at her, and she watched as the waitress smiled faintly at him. Jacob turned his head down to the table as he took a step back, his eyes falling onto Brandi's half-finished glass of Sprite, and she scooted over automatically as Jacob sat down next to her. Paul was ignoring him as he grinned up at the waitress, waiting eagerly for her to set down his food, and the second the plate touched the table he immediately reached out to pick up the sandwich and take an enormous bite, his stomach growling and predicting already that this massive sandwich would not be filling enough. Brandi swallowed nervously as she eyed Paul before she glanced back to Jacob, who was _still_ glaring at him. Without a word Rachel quickly walked away from the table.

"This isn't half bad," Paul commented as he chewed. "A little _small _maybe, but-"

"You never answered my question," Jacob reminded in a firm voice. "_Why _are you here?"

"Why are you?" Paul shot back, the look in his own eyes just as menacing now, Brandi noticed. Suddenly, she felt cornered and trapped, and she ducked her head slightly as she pulled her soda closer to her to take a sip, desperate to make herself look busy.

"You _know_ why I'm here," Jacob said.

"I know why you left," Paul corrected. "But I don't know why you chose to come _here_. But whatever. I left because it was time for a change."

"A change," Jacob repeated. "And how did Sam feel about that?"

"Who cares," Paul said as he took another bite. "Sam's _opinions _are no concern to me anymore."

Jacob continued to glare at him, and though his thoughts were safe and silent in his own mind, Paul could never mistake the message Jacob's eyes held. "Nice," Jacob said passively, his tone clearly expressing that Paul's abandonment of the pack was not nice at all. Brandi was confused, both Jacob and Paul knew this, but while Paul was in absolutely no position to explain the deeper meaning of their conversation, Jacob simply wasn't ready to tell her the truth, and for now he knew she'd be fine being left in the dark. "So you just... _left_?"

"Yeah," Paul said as he nodded. "You know, it reminds me a lot of the time you just _left_, and for the record, you can't just come in here and tell me right from wrong there, Jakey."

Jacob sucked in a breath through his nose as he tried to compose himself. "I never said anything," he defended. "But you can think whatever you want, Paul," he added with a sigh as he finally leaned back, his arms still stretched in front of him on the table.

"Oh, I _will_," Paul said, thrilled to experience how it would feel to keep his thoughts private again. It was something he hadn't experienced in a long, long time, and he smirked again as he glanced back down to finish off his sandwich.

Just as Jacob turned his head to glance over at Brandi, she lifted her own head to look at him, and as Jacob looked into her eyes she immediately noticed his expression was softer, his lips no longer thinned. "Hey, Brandi," he finally greeted quietly, his voice scratchy.

"Hey," she said with a small smile, desperate suddenly to have all of her questions answered. But it was clear how strong Jacob's dislike for Paul was, and she wasn't exactly sure where to start with her questioning. She knew it would probably benefit everyone if she just kept her mouth closed, but the questions and curiosity were burning holes in her brain, and she was almost _certain _she'd lose sleep if she didn't get at least some of them answered.

"Are you ready to go?" Jacob asked now, trying to keep his voice smooth and soft, but Brandi could still detect the bitterness beneath it. Now, Paul looked back up to Jacob as he popped a fry into his mouth.

"Let the girl finish her _drink_," he said, and he grinned at Brandi when she glanced over at him. "The day's still young."

"I wasn't speaking to _you_," Jacob growled as he slowly looked back over to Paul. "Besides, we had plans."

Paul nodded in false understanding. "And then she met _me_."

Jacob stared at Paul with furrowed eyebrows. Had he always been so proud and sarcastic? Maybe Jacob had been away from his pack brothers longer than he had thought. But either way, there was something about the situation he didn't like. Suddenly, he wanted Brandi to have nothing to do with Paul. If he was still anything like how he was back at the reservation – carefree, a daredevil, and hot-tempered – he knew it was only a matter of time before she got seriously hurt...

Brandi's heart pounded against her chest. She wanted to avoid the boys direct line of hostility, but at the same time, she wasn't exactly ready to be rushed away from Paul either. She nervously looked back to Jacob, who was trying his best to maintain a somewhat friendly expression as he waited for her, eager to get up and leave, but he felt his stomach drop slightly when she slid her glass a little closer to herself.

"I'd like to... finish... this first," she stated as she lifted up her glass slightly, though her tone made it sound like more of a question. From the corner of his eye, Jacob noticed Paul smirk as he lifted his glass of water to his lips, and Jacob glanced down to the edge of the table as he slouched down in his seat slightly, and he folded his hands over his stomach.

"Then I'll wait," he informed Brandi with a sigh, though this time he didn't look at her. It was a strange feeling and new kind of devotion, but if Brandi wanted to stay, then he did too. Not only just to be around her, and not only to support her decisions, but also to protect her.

"You want another one?" Paul asked her now as he nodded down to her glass, and now, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Jacob raise his eyes up to glare at him. Suddenly, getting under Jacob's skin sounded like a good idea...

Brandi shook her head with a smile. "No, thanks," she said. "So... you two are both from La Push? Did you both grow up there?" She glanced back over to Jacob just in enough time to observe him rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh. He knew it was only a matter of time before the questions started.

"Mainly, yeah," he answered her. "It's a small world, isn't it?" He asked, that bite back in his tone as he glared at Paul. "Of all the forests, you had to come _here_."

Paul ignored him while Brandi glanced back to Paul. "Why did you both leave then?"

Paul shrugged. "Desperate for change, I guess," Paul said as he glanced back to Jacob. "And after... well, all that happened last year, it just wasn't the same place anymore. Don't get me wrong though," he added suddenly as he looked back to Brandi. "La Push was a pretty cool place. A lot to do. I was telling Brandi about Seth's first cliff jump after he... well, you know." He looked back to Jacob in unison with Brandi, and her frown deepened when she noticed the evil glint in Jacob's eyes as he glared at Paul.

"Funny," Jacob said as he raised his eyebrows. "I don't recall Seth jumping off the cliffs. Ever."

Though he wasn't smirking or smiling, Paul still maintained an amused look on his face. Finally he shrugged as he finished off his water. "Guess that's what happens after you've been separated for so long."

Brandi's eyebrows furrowed. Desperate for change? The big deal on 'leaving' and being 'separated'. Separated from _what_?Who was Sam, and why were his, or her, opinions so important? Brandi's mind swelled with questions, and she took another sip of her Sprite through her straw. Jacob remained staring at Paul, but he ignored his comment, wondering what his deal so suddenly was. He wanted to know when and how Brandi me Paul, and why she had agreed to sit with him in the cafe'. He sighed from his nose as he turned his head away finally. But right now, sitting across from Paul, let alone in the same building as him, was proving to be too much for Jacob, and he didn't want to be in a foul mood during his time with Brandi. He leaned away from the backside of the booth and glanced over to Brandi.

"I'm gonna wait outside," he told her, trying to maintain an even tone of voice. "Take your time. I won't go anywhere," he assured, and before she could respond Jacob stood from the table and made his way over to the door. Brandi had turned her head to watch him go, and once he stepped out of the door she turned back to the window to peer out of it, just barely able to see him standing on the sidewalk with his head down. Her eyebrows met in the middle as she leaned back to face forward again, her eyes on her glass.

"What plans do you have with him?" Paul asked now, staring at her with a cocked eyebrow, and Brandi raised her eyes up to him.

"He was going to show me around town," she said as she glanced back down, unable to help but to feel... _guilty?_ She swallowed as she reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, and she flipped it open to check the time. It was almost two thirty. She had agreed to meet up with Jacob at two. While she was confused over his sudden hostility to Paul, and while she had to wonder if he was at all mad at her for being with him, she had to put herself in his shoes. Meeting up with Paul was not a big deal, Brandi could do whatever she wanted, and Jacob's opinion was no concern to her. After all, she had only met him the day before. But to so easily abandon him to change her plans, even if she still planned on getting to them at a later time, was wrong, and she didn't want to come off as that type of person.

She glanced back to Paul as she bit her lip. She wasn't necessarily ready to leave his presence, but then again he had mentioned something about her getting to know him over the course of a month, at least. And that had to go both ways, right? As she got to know him, in turn, he would get to know her. She didn't want to leave, but Jacob was outside _waiting_...

"Hey, I'm gonna... go," she said, instantly meeting Paul's heavy gaze. He grinned at her.

"You know, _I _could show you around town," Paul offered. "Or, you know. We could get lost together, too. You'll learn better that way, I guarantee it. Trial and error, baby."

Brandi felt dizzy, and she forced out a small laugh. "I promised him," she said finally, though recalling back, did she _actually_ promise? "But, I mean, you know. We could hang out some other time."

Paul's grin widened. "We could, but don't you have school, or something?"

Brandi frowned. "No," she said. "I'm eighteen."

Paul nodded. "Nice," he said. "You look a lot younger."

"How old are you?" She asked.

"Twenty," Paul answered smoothly. A lie? Yes, but Brandi never had to know that. He noticed Brandi's eyebrows rise slightly, and he wondered vaguely what age Jacob had told her he was. He laughed to himself. "You know, Jake's only _sixteen_."

"I know," Brandi said. "He told me."

Paul's face fell slightly, but he maintained his small grin. _Damn_, he thought to himself. He hadn't expected Jacob to tell her the truth. Or, at least part of it. "Well, enjoy your day of awkward conversations and ice cream in the park," Paul began somewhat bitterly. "But you ever wanna have _fun_, then yes, let's hang out again." He knew it wouldn't be like that; Jacob wasn't into silly stuff like that anymore than the rest of the pack, but at this point, it was whatever he could to help his case, to make him sound like the better match. He was free from La Push now, free to experience life outside of the pack. And right now, he wanted to experience it with Brandi. If his former pack brother was the one standing in his way, then so be it.

Brandi made a somewhat skeptical face at him, but nonetheless, she decided to take him up on his offer. "When?" She asked. Paul shrugged.

"Whenever you want."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Paul repeated. "Let's say, same time, same place?"

Brandi nodded. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll see you then."

"So you will," Paul replied, and his grin widened as he lifted up his hand to sarcastically wave goodbye at her. She grinned slightly before she slid out from the booth.

"Thanks for the soda," she offered, but Paul didn't reply. Instead, he raised his eyebrows as he nodded, and without another word, Brandi turned to start toward the door, able to feel Paul's burning gaze on her as she walked away.

Outside, Jacob was waiting next to the door. He was leaning against the building by the door, his hands in his pockets, and he turned his head to glance at her just as she stepped outside, the sun warn and blinding, but welcoming.

"So," he began in a flat voice. "How was the date with the _lord of charm_?"

Brandi stared at him, blinking once after a short minute. "It wasn't a date," she addressed what she considered to be the most important aspect of Jacob's comment. She waited for Jacob to pester her further, and make his jealousy known with interrogating questions, but he didn't say a word, and instead just raised his eyebrows.

"Ready to go then?" He asked suddenly, forcing his voice to lighten, and he smiled weakly at her.

"Yeah," Brandi answered. "Are we taking my car?"

"If that's alright," Jacob replied. Brandi nodded, and Jacob followed her to the Civic parked across the street, Paul watching them through the window the entire time.

**I know it's been a somewhat slow start, but I'm a strong believer in not diving right into the action with a story. Please leave me some feedback with your thoughts! **


	4. In One Ear and Out the Other

"And if you turn here, we're right back where we started."

Brandi followed Jacob's directions, and once she turned left, her eyes instantly scanning the area, in the near distance she noticed the Bed, Bath and Beyond store with the cafe' directly across the street.

"Damn," she said. "So it's just a big circle then... kinda."

"Yup," Jacob answered as he nodded slightly. "Kinda easy to get lost, but also pretty easy to find your way back."

"That's good," Brandi said. "Especially for someone like me."

Jacob smiled slightly as he nodded again, and as they approached the end of the street, advancing toward Alpine park, Jacob glanced back at Brandi, an all knowing smirk on his face.

"Do you remember how to get back to your house from here?" He asked, Brandi easily detecting the smart, biting tone to his voice, and she couldn't help but to grin back.

"I think so," she answered honestly. "Why?" She asked suddenly as she glanced over to Jacob. "Are you hinting at something? Trying to get rid of me?" Jacob's smile fell slightly, but he continued to grin.

"Certainly not," he assured. "Turn left up here. I have another place to show you."

Jacob's directions led them straight to another park, and Brandi squinted her eyes as she peered through the dirty windshield to read the sign composed of three separate, polished boards of wood: "_Riverside Park. No Pets. No Glass Containers." _Brandi cocked an eyebrow at this, and she glanced over to Jacob just as he instructed her to park somewhere.

After stepping out of the car, Brandi stuck her small key ring into her pocket, and she followed Jacob past the odd sign and onto the main sidewalk, other concrete paths branching out from it to wind all around the large park. Her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes remaining squinted due to the shining sun up above, and a small breeze blew past as she continued to walk beside Jacob. She glanced to her right, observing the few children that played on the park's small playground and the few people that wandered about the other concrete paths surrounded by healthy, green grass. From the corner of her eye, as she continued to take in the surroundings of Riverside park, she noticed Jacob had glanced down to her, and when she looked up to him she quickly detected the all-knowing grin on his face.

"I know you said you're not much of a mountain person," he began, turning his head away from her to look forward again as they began to advance toward a cluster of trees. "But I think you'll like where we're going."

Confusion and slight anticipation overcame Brandi, two senses Jacob easily picked up on, and all he could do was grin further just as they approached the tree cluster.

The sidewalk wound all through the trees, the forest growing thicker and darker with green and shadows the further they went. Her heart raced, but Brandi willed herself to remain calm as she continued her stroll, having to admit that their surroundings were rather breath-taking. She stared ahead at the concrete path before her, her eyes flickering all over the spots of orange where the sun shone through the thick canopy of trees, and suddenly she heard what could only be described as running water somewhere close by. A stream, perhaps?

They rounded another smooth corner, and Brandi's lips parted slightly once she noticed they were headed directly toward a small, old-fashioned style, wooden bridge that stood over a deep stream of water, the current rushing calmly over the bed of rocks to create a low, natural and peaceful sound. Jacob glanced down to her again, and he smiled slightly, following her gaze toward the water, and they silently stepped onto the small bridge. Brandi placed her hands on the wooden railing of the bridge as she leaned over slightly to peer down at the water a good five to seven feet below her. Next to her, Jacob folded his arms and placed them on the railing to lean over as well, though instead of peering down into the water, his eyes remained focused ahead of him where the stream disappeared around the corner through the trees. Since arriving in Salida, this had proven to be his favorite spot to come to, in both forms. Dare he admit that it _sort _of reminded him of home, with the tall, thick green trees twisting upward to shield the majority of the Colorado sky, but he enjoyed the noise of the stream, and coolness of the shade. He thought back to one of his first nights in town, remembering on the first night he decided to explore the land in his wolf form. The sun had just started to set when he came across this place, and he recalled the how the cool, rushing water had felt on his giant paws, and how the breeze felt through his fur. He had felt so calm, so at ease, and so carefree. He got the same feelings in his human shape, and as often as he could he visited the spot, human by day, and wolf by night, when the park was closed.

Brandi was still staring down at the stream, finding herself actually enjoying the slight breeze as it brushed smoothly through her hair, and just faintly she could see the dark, far and distorted reflections of her and Jacob in the water. She met Jacob's eyes in the reflection, or, at least she thought she did, for suddenly Jacob leaned away from the bridge to glance over at her.

"So, whattya think?" He asked.

"I actually like it," Brandi said quietly, feeling the need to keep her voice low as to not disturb the gentle flow of nature around her. The odd, respectful feeling made her think twice about lighting up a cigarette. _Weird_, she thought.

Jacob nodded as he looked back out to where the stream met the corner of trees. "Not exactly your beach with palm trees, but it works all the same. I come here a lot, actually," he confessed. "It's just... _calm _here, you know?"

"Yeah," Brandi agreed. "You get that real peaceful, easy feeling."

Jacob laughed next to her, and she glanced over to him, wondering if he had understood her song reference. He had.

"I like that song," he said. "You like the Eagles?"

Brandi shrugged as she glanced away from him. "I used to, I guess," she said. "I stopped listening to a lot of music when my parents died," she admitted easily, pausing in slight confusion. That statement flew past her lips so freely and easily, and as she took a moment to wonder why, Jacob nodded in understanding.

"I got a lot of shit for liking them back at the 'res," Jacob explained with a small laugh, recalling how often Quil would get at him for his music preferences. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Brandi narrow her eyes on him, and suddenly he wished he hadn't mentioned La Push...

"So, you and Paul," she instantly began, unable to hear Jacob's nearly silent sigh. "I just... I have a hard time believing the only people I've met here so far are from the same, exact place."

"Believe it," Jacob answered with a louder sigh now. "Paul was nearly unbearable back home. And obviously he still is."

"Is he really _that _bad?" Brandi wondered.

Jacob frowned at the turn their conversation had gone in to. "He _really _is, Brandi," he said as he shook his head. "The most obnoxious one in the pac- er... on the reservation. Him and _Leah_," he added under his breath. Brandi straightened up, millions of questions surfacing in her mind that she found herself desperate to ask. But why? She had only met Jacob _yesterday_. But, for some reason or another, she couldn't help but to feel somewhat comfortable around him. Actually, she realized, the feelings went beyond comfort; she found herself to be truly curious of him. Not only of his opinions on Paul, but also his home life in La Push. She couldn't place why. Maybe it was because of how strong his eagerness to meet her had been, his curiosity on _her_. Maybe it was because of how he treated her, constantly acting nice and above all, helpful. Perhaps it had something to do with his personality as a whole, the "aura" that surrounded him that eased Brandi into a state of feeling comfortable and truthful. Whatever it was, it seemed to work every time.

"Leah?" She asked now. "And obnoxious how?"

Jacob chuckled slightly. "Honestly I'd rather tell you about Leah," he said. "She was more bearable in ways than Paul was. Or _is_," he corrected.

Brandi continued to stare at the profile of his face. It was Paul that she had met, Paul that she had to admit she was interested in, and Paul that she wanted to know more about. She hadn't met Leah. She didn't care about her. Brandi's eyebrows met in the middle.

"If you're referring to his..." she paused, searching for the right word, "_confidence_, then-"

Jacob laughed one, the sound more like a bark. "Confidence," he laughed. "Yeah, right. _That's _putting it lightly."

Brandi frowned. "Stop," she said. "I'm being serious."

Jacob sighed loudly, and Brandi watched as his features relaxed. He glanced down before he looked back to her, and he raised his dark eyes to stare into hers. "I know," he said, easily detecting that she _was_ being truly serious about her questions, and more than _anything_ he wished that she wasn't. It was an odd feeling though, to _want _to answer her questions on his former pack brother, just to please her. The desire to do so was strong, and he knew either way he would answer her questions, but he wasn't so sure that he enjoyed feeling this way, like a servant on steroids. Was it pushing the truth to say that he hated Paul? _Maybe not hate_, he thought. But a strong dislike? Definitely. He wished Brandi would have asked him to jump off the bridge instead and see how long he could hold his face underwater.

"He's just-" he began, his eyes roaming to the right as he tried to think of how to word it. There was no law saying he couldn't give her the truth, regardless of how harsh, and his feeling of wanting to answer her questions would be subdued. But what an odd feeling it was, his intensity to keep her away from hot-tempered Paul. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't romantically attracted to Brandi, those had been his initial feelings, but upon calming down some, and trying to accept the oddity of his imprint, Jacob realized that, no matter what, he would easily be there for her in any way Brandi needed. A lover, more preferably; a brother, a best friend... anything. And either way, no matter what he was meant to be toward her, he wanted her to stay away from Paul.

"He's really hot-tempered, and that's an understatement," he finally replied as he looked back to her. Her gray eyes were wide with wonder and expectation, her plump lips parted slightly, exposing her two, white front teeth beneath them, and as her hair blew gently in the breeze, the smell of artificial cherry and vanilla surrounded him, the smell nearly intoxicating. "He doesn't care about anyone but himself," he finally went on. "He's piratically bi-polar."

Brandi rolled her eyes just as Jacob did, though her action was for a completely different reason. Jacob realized this, and he sighed.

"Brandi, look," he began in a more even tone of voice. "I've lived with him for practically my whole life. Maybe among my brothers he wasn't too bad, but with everyone else, he-"

"Brothers?" Brandi asked. "I thought you only had sisters."

Jacob's lips parted as he instantly started to back track, his scrambled-minded brain making him feel as though she already knew the entire truth about him and the Quileutes. In reality, she was the only one in his life with whom he was able to willingly share the secret, but Jacob had no desire to do this. At least not yet. "I mean my friends back home," he corrected quickly. "But please, Brandi," he added, his tone slightly more quiet. "Just stay away from him."

Brandi's brown and slightly arched eyebrows met in the middle while her lips parted again. "Jake, I-" she stopped short, wondering quickly if it was too soon to refer to him with a nickname. She closed her mouth, blaming the damn comfortable and at ease feelings that he gave her without even trying. Jacob didn't seem to mind, however, and he continued to look at her, waiting. "Jacob," she corrected anyway. "I think he's fine," she defended. "Besides, I can affiliate myself with anyone I want, you know?" She added nervously. It felt odd to be so truthful with him, the guy she had only met yesterday, but she didn't want to be passive on this subject, and she wanted to come across as someone who didn't hold back what she was thinking or feeling, a horrible personality trait she had given herself back in Florida. It was difficult to do, however, and once she noticed Jacob's face fall slightly, the stuttering began. "A-and he treated me fine today. Actually, to be honest, his attitude only changed when y-you... came around," she added in a mumble, watching as Jacob's jaw hardened. She hadn't meant to be _that _truthful. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but-"

"It's more than concern, Brandi," Jacob interrupted in a harder tone as he took a step closer to her, his eyes locked on hers. "He's dangerous."

"He's fine," she defended Paul again. But why though? _Why _was she so keen on defending him, Someone who she knew even less than Jacob. It was almost as if she wanted Jacob to be accepting of her like over Paul, but why? What sense did that make? Why should she care what Jacob thought? His opinions on her actions didn't matter, and they shouldn't. So why did she care so much?

"Brandi just... please," he said again, confusing Brandi even more the longer he went on to push the subject. "Stay away from him. Forget about him."

Brandi instantly began to shake her head. "No," she answered somewhat stubbornly. Jacob closed his mouth and sighed deeply from his nose, realizing he was going to lose this argument. "Look, I think I'm gonna go home," Brandi said. "Doug's supposed to be getting home early, and-" she stopped short as Jacob looked away from her, his lips pulled in a tight, annoyed line. "Do you want a ride home?"

"No," he answered. His own eyebrows met in the middle now, and he turned his head back to her, his eyes cold and hard. He didn't want to leave her, but at the current moment he knew it was what Brandi wanted. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Yeah," Brandi answered. "I think I do. But are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Jacob said as he looked away from her again. "I'll see your around, Brandi. Just-" he paused, sighing again from his mouth. Since she wasn't going to heed his wishes on Paul, then Jacob knew all he could do was try to set some reasonable guidelines for her safety. Now, since he had been shot down with his warnings, it was all he'd be able to do. "If you see him again, just be careful. And stay in public," he added in a stressed tone.

A new wave of confusion swept over her, but she bit her tongue, holding back from the questions. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Jacob beat her to it.

"See you around," he repeated, and without another word he turned his back to her and started down the opposite side of the bridge. Brandi watched him for a moment before she finally turned around to head back in the direction from which they had come. Annoyance and defeat still lingered in Jacob, but it was not strong enough to keep him from turning around and watching as Brandi grew smaller and smaller the further she walked away from him. Once she disappeared around the corner, he continued on his path, knowing this sidewalk would lead back to the opposite side of the park, and from there he planned on making sure Brandi got back to her car safely. Only one question lingered with him now: what was he going to do about Paul?

–

It had been another dinner of boiled vegetables and butter that night, and as Brandi ate, alone at the kitchen table, she couldn't help but to feel a little guilty over lying to Jacob. She couldn't place why she felt guilty, though. An odd, regretful feeling had swelled in the pit of her stomach, and it stabbed her every time she thought of Jacob's face when she said that she had to leave. In truth, she had just been sick of hearing Jacob's negative words on Paul, and it annoyed her slightly to see how desperate he was to keep her away from him. Why? The only reason she could come up with was silly and perhaps even shallow, but it was the only one that made sense: in her mind, Jacob, plain and simple, just wanted Brandi to himself. It was clear that he liked her, and with Paul in the picture that meant only one thing. Competition. Brandi had been forced to contemplate this reason as she laid awake in her bed, and she wondered, if this _was _the reason for Jacob's hostility, then why did she feel so bad about lying to him?

With the morning came a mind that was still full of these thoughts, and now, as Brandi waited nervously in front of the cafe' for Paul, came a mind full of anxiety. At precisely five minutes before the hour, Paul rounded the corner, wearing almost exactly what he had been the day previously. Only difference now was that his wife beater had gone from black to white. The lighter fabric caused his skin to seem that much more darker, and as Brandi noticed this, she couldn't help but to let her eyes roam slowly up his muscular arms. The small, logical voice in her head, clouded behind her nervous, but swooned emotions and thoughts, wondered lightly why she found herself so accepting of Paul's muscle-packed body and not Jacob's. She had never been a fan of buff guys, so why was Paul such an easy exception to her preference?

"You're early." Paul's slightly sneering tone snapped Brandi out of her daze, and she blinked twice before she tilted her head up to look into his dark eyes. Her heart skipped a beat the second her eyes took in his smirking expression, and she cleared her throat.

"Oh, yeah," she began, instantly feeling like an idiot. She could only image how she must have looked to him –– eager and desperate. In a sense, he'd be right. She was eager to see him again, and desperate to see if Jacob's warnings were really accurate. "I was out of cigarettes so I had to buy more." This was true, but she wasn't about to mention that she had actually purchased the cigarettes fifteen minutes prior...

Paul raised an eyebrow. "You got them on you now?"

"Uh, in the car," Brandi answered slowly as she jerked a thumb behind her, pointing at the black Civic that was parked next to the curb.

"Awesome," Paul said. "Let's go."

Without another word, he stepped past her and onto the street, and Brandi turned around just in enough time to see him reach out for the passenger side door handle. With a clouded mind, she finally forced herself to move forward, and she got into the car just as Paul had closed the door behind him. As Brandi proceeded with closing her own door, she watched as Paul reached forward to grab the new box of cigarettes from the space under the radio to open up the lid and pull one out. Only after he closed the box did he glance up to her, cigarette dangling in between his lips, and he grinned.

"You mind?" He asked, pointing with both of his index fingers toward the cigarette, and Brandi quickly shook her head.

"No, have all you want." She immediately closed her eyes in annoyance over her comment – too desperate sounding for her tastes – and upon opening them she stuck the keys into the ignition. Paul was still smirking to himself as he lit up the cigarette now, and when he glanced back over to Brandi he noticed she had pulled out her own cigarette, the car now running, and he handed her the lighter. "So, where are we going?" She asked now as she exhaled, and she set the lighter down along with the pack of cigarettes. Paul shrugged as he rolled down his window.

"I don't care," he answered. "You go anywhere interesting yesterday with Jake?"

Brandi shook her head as she took another drag from her cigarette. "Not really, we just drove around town. Actually, he showed me this pretty neat place in the park." She stared at Paul as he laughed slightly, shaking his head as he ashed his cigarette out of the fully opened window, and he glanced back to her with that same, pointed smirk, his eyebrows raised.

"Did you guys get _icecream_?"

Brandi glared at him, her eyes narrowed. "No," she said sternly, using his same tone, and she couldn't help but to grin along with him as he lifted his cigarette to his mouth for another hit.

"Well that's redeeming," he commented.

"Redeeming?" Brandi wondered. "How?"

"Because you're better than that," Paul told her. "I see you more as risk-taker."

"Risk-taker?" Brandi snorted a laugh as she spoke. "Yeah _right_. You clearly don't know me well." She turned her head away from him to ash her own cigarette out of the window.

"I don't," Paul agreed. "Which is what today is for, right?" He waited until she turned her head about around to look at him, and he stared into her light, gray eyes, practically a glowing silver color due to the sun. "So, risk-taker, where we goin'? What's it gonna be? Rock climbing? Cliff diving? Skinny dipping?" He added with a grin, and a powerful, electric shock ran up Brandi's spine. "You call it."

She stared at him, mouth slightly agape. She was digging herself a hole here, a hole with a reputation that she would not be able to keep. The most "risk-taking" thing she had ever done was shoplifting a ring from a small store back in Florida, and in fact, it was the very ring that she wore on her thumb finger. She looked down to it now, forcing herself to look away from Paul as she tried to think of something to say. She felt nervous, and an odd but powerful sort of intense feeling radiated from Paul, making her more tongue tied. Finally, with a large sigh, she glanced back up to him, not wanting to disappoint him, but also not wanting to be the one to call the shots.

"You seem to know which is the most fun," she said. "I'll let you pick."

A new-found grin found Paul's face, and he stared at her for a moment. Pushing past her nervous facade, Brandi smiled at him, her eyes wrinkling slightly in the corners, as she waited for a response. Finally, with a small nod, Paul glanced out of the wind shield as he took another drag from his nearly finished cigarette, thinking. What was there to _do _around here? At least in La Push he had had an ocean to swim in, or dive into from a cliff. Thus far, he hadn't seen any cliffs, or any large bodies of water at least. How disappointing. His eyes narrowed on the park up ahead as he thought of something for them to do. Brandi waited, staring at him, until he finally shrugged and glanced back over at her.

"We could go hiking."

"Hiking?" Brandi repeated. "Where?" She had never "hiked" before. What did that pertain, just following a trail somewhere in the woods? As far as she knew, it did, but she had a feeling that with Paul it wasn't so simple...

Paul shrugged again as he tossed his cigarette out of the window. "Anywhere," he said as he faced completely forward in his seat now. "We gotta start small."

Brandi smiled. "Hiking now and cliff diving later?" She put the car in gear while Paul nodded with a smirk.

"You got it," he said. Still smiling, Brandi pushed her foot to the gas pedal and started down the road, butterflies flourishing to life in the pit of her stomach as she wondered where, exactly, she was supposed to be going.

–

Fortunately, after a few minutes of driving blind, Paul had started to give her directions, randomly telling her to turn here or there or stay straight on this road, until finally, after they had just started on the outskirts of town, they came across a small parking area on the shoulder of the road for amateur hikers. Directly from the parking lot was the start of a dirt trail, marked with pink markers on either side of it, for the hikers to begin their trip, and in the distance Brandi noticed more pink makers tied around the trees.

"This'll work," Paul said as he motioned for Brandi to turn in, and she parked her car next to the only other car in the lot. She glanced out of the windshield with furrowed eyebrows as she took the keys from the ignition. The trail seemed... _easy_, for lack of a better word, especially for someone like Paul, who Brandi was gathering to be a bit of a cocky thrill-seeker, not that this was bad or anything. But before she could open her mouth to make this comment (just to talk? To sound up to par with him and cocky herself on his choice, just to impress him?) she quickly paused and held herself back. The park Jacob had taken her to had been her first real taste of being in a forest, and she wasn't sure she was ready to go anywhere treacherous. She knew, if she was to make the comment, it would only persuade Paul to chose to go somewhere more difficult.

But in the end, it wasn't like it had mattered, and deep down Brandi had known this all along. After Paul had grabbed the lighter and pack of cigarettes and after Brandi had made sure the doors were locked and had pocketed her keys, her and Paul began on the trail, walking past the pink markers, both of them silent. The sun was high in the sky, and the air around them was warm, though a cool breeze blew past every now and again, leaving goosebumps on Brandi's skin while the thick clusters of trees swayed up ahead. It had been fine; in fact, Brandi liked walking in silence next to Paul as she was unable to help but take in the sight, sounds and smells of nature all around her, until Paul started to stray off course. Brandi hesitated as he took a sharp left turn off of the dirt trail, and she paused, biting her lip as she glanced down the rest of the trail, another set of pink markers a few feet up ahead. The breeze blew past as she glanced back to Paul, who continued to trudge on into the woods as if he didn't even realize Brandi had stopped, and with a nervous swallow she forced herself to follow in his footsteps.

Now, after a good ten minutes of following on this same, imaginary path, Brandi found them to be deep within the thick Colorado forest, and everything around her looked the same the further they went, and it didn't take long for her to figure out that _she _at least, was hopelessly lost. Had it been a good idea to so easily trust Paul? Jacob's words instantly echoed in her mind: _...just be careful. And stay in public_, he had warned. Brandi swallowed, torn as she tried to convince herself that it was silly to feel nervous, while another part of her wondered if Jacob had been on to something. After all, he _had _known Paul much longer than she did...

"Hey," Brandi spoke up as she quickly skipped ahead to catch up to Paul, leaping gently over a small log on the woodsy ground, and she glanced up to him once she had caught up. "Do you know where we are?"

"No," Paul answered, partially a lie. He could easily sense the anxiety Brandi gave off like a strong perfume, and he smirked. Paul really didn't know where they were, but he would _easily _be able to lead them back, by either following his scent or hers. Brandi didn't know this, she had no idea rather, and admittedly Paul enjoyed her sense of nervousness. "Why?"

"Just wondering," she answered slowly as she continued to walk on beside him.

"Where I come from, hiking isn't following a marked trail," Paul said. To be more precise, it wasn't really called _hiking _either. More like roaming, or perimeter runs. But those had only ever been in his wolf form.

"Right," Brandi said lowly. "So hiking is wondering off course and getting lost?"

Paul laughed, four, deeply independent "h_a's". _"I don't get lost."

"That's reassuring," Brandi grumbled. Paul's grin faded slightly as he glanced down to her.

"Aw, c'mon, risk-taker," he began. "Is this too _scary _for you?"

Brandi rolled her eyes. "No," she partially lied. "I just want to be assured that I'll make it home _tonight_."

"You will," Paul assured, easily hearing the near silent sigh that escaped from Brandi, a sigh that had been meant for only her to hear, and he was able to detect the slight calm that washed over her with just his simple promise. It was funny how easy she was to trust him, but Paul couldn't resist but to instill that slight anxiety in her again. He smirked down at her. "I never said _what time _tonight, though," he pointed out, and his grin widened when she glanced up to him with slightly widened eyes. They both stopped walking as they stared at each other. A breeze blew past them, and his eyes flickered down to her hair as it swayed behind her in the wind, the scent of cherries more potent than before now. "You wanna take a smoke break?"

Brandi quickly fixed her slightly shocked face as she rolled her eyes, and she glanced around her surroundings, taking in the tiny, open field they had wondered into, surrounded by brush and trees, an old, with a large log sitting just a few feet ahead in front of a steep hill. "Yeah, I do," she finally answered. "And you'll give my brother a heart attack if I get home too late, by the way."

"So?" Paul asked as he reached into his pocket for the pack of cigarettes and lighter. "You're eighteen. Legal to go out and do what you want, right?"

"I guess," Brandi said as Paul handed her the pack and lighter after he had lit up his own cigarette. Not thinking about it or not caring after she lit up, she handed the pack and lighter back to Paul.

"So, why is it you're living with your brother anyway?" He went on to ask as they both began to advance toward the log. The question took Brandi by surprise; it was the first real question Paul had asked her about her life.

"Um, well-" she paused just as they had sat down on the log, sitting a mere few inches from each other, and she suddenly found herself unable to tell him that her parents and grandma had died, the words catching in her throat. Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized this complication. Why had it been so easy to share this with Jacob? She could feel Paul staring at her, and when she glanced up, she noticed he was. He stared at her with a hard look in his eyes, waiting for an answer, an eyebrow cocked. "My parents and grandma died," Brandi finally forced herself to say, speaking quickly as if the statement had been a single, long word. She quickly took a deep drag of her cigarette. Paul's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he took a drag of his own.

"How?"

The question caused Brandi's heart to skip several beats, rendering her unable to exhale the smoke, and she coughed a few times, the smoke being forced out from her. _How_? How was she suppose to answer that? How had Paul manged to so easily ask her such a personal question? Glancing back up to him, how was it he composed such a blank expression as he waited for an answer? The answer to his question was something that she did not like to talk about, let alone _think _about.

Paul easily detected the uneasiness that overcame them, and he noticed how difficult it was for her to suddenly speak. He found himself oddly wanting to take the question back, though the desire to hear the answer was greater, but before he could even decide to backtrack, just faintly he heard sound of a twig snapping in the distance, a far too quiet sound for Brandi's weak, one-hundred percent human ears to pick up on. Just barely, he turned his head as his eyes roamed over to left, and he eyed the thick brush of tall grass, bushes and trees there. As Brandi struggled, he smirked as he realized they were no longer alone...

It hadn't been Jacob's intention to follow Brandi. Instead, it had just sort of happened. In the beginning, he had just wanted to make sure that, after he had witnessed her meet Paul – something she had failed to mention she'd be doing the day before in the park – he didn't have plans to do anything stupid. But once they had decided to go on a little hiking trip, Jacob became fixated on making sure Brandi stayed safe.

There were handfuls of harmful things that Paul could do during their time together to put Brandi in danger, and once Jacob had phased into his wolf form, leaving behind his torn clothes to keep up with Brandi's car in the surrounding forests around the road, his thoughts were blinded with these possibilities. The ideas ranged from Paul finding a way to get them lost, abandoning Brandi, to full on phasing in front of her. This last option seemed to make the most sense. All it would take was for Brandi to say or do the wrong thing, or for Paul to just decide that it would be fun to freak her out. He no longer belonged to the pack. He no longer had Alpha's orders to follow, therefore he was free to do what he wanted. Since Jacob had imprinted on her, Brandi now had every right to know their secret, and more than anything Jacob wanted to share it with her, but he couldn't shake off the feeling of deciding it wasn't the best time. Brandi would know, eventually, but it would be on Jacob's watch. It was one of the only acts of selfishness he planned on doing with her. But now that she was alone with Paul, he knew anything could happen. Only difference now was he'd be there to stop it and protect her.

As they hiked, Jacob growling to himself once Paul lead them off course, Jacob had followed many, many yards behind, his reddish brown fur hidden well in the brush of the forest. His paws quietly touched the ground as he made subtle movements, and he rolled his big eyes to himself at Paul's stupid comments. He wondered to himself why Brandi even bothered with him. Paul came off as entirely rude to her, with snatching her cigarettes and having no concern for her safety. Jacob couldn't figure out why she was even putting up with it. Jacob had been polite and mindful toward her, and listened wholeheartedly at what she had to say. At least, he _thought _he had... He knew he'd be there for Brandi in any way, shape or form she needed, and as he had thought before, all of his relationships entailed him keeping her away from Paul. His warnings had gone in one ear and out the other, he realized now, but at the same time he couldn't really blame her. They had just met, and he knew Brandi to decide she had no reason to listen to him, this random, desperate seeming guy. But still. She had absolutely no idea how true Jacob's warnings had been. He knew it was only a matter of time...

His following them had led him to the small clearing Brandi and Paul sat in now, and he stopped a few feet behind the tall brush that enclosed the clearing, watching them through the foliage. He had instantly noticed Brandi's hesitation when Paul asked her why she lived with Doug, and behind him his tail swooshed to the side as he sensed her strong uneasiness. So it was hard to talk to him, that was a start. She had forced herself to answer regardless, _forced_, Jacob thought sourly, and he narrowed his eyes on them as he continued to watch. But almost instantaneously with Brandi, when Paul asked _how _her family had died, the word sent a shock of anger through Jacob, and the furious feeling flowed throughout his blood, not because Brandi hadn't told him the answer to the question – no, that would be shallow and silly – but rather because he could feel the pain that overcame her, and it affected him too. His lip snarled up, exposing his sharp teeth as he ducked his head, his eyes focused on Paul, and he forced himself to keep from growling. Instead, he breathed out deeply through his nose, and took a menacing step forward, the small sound of a tiny twig snapping making his ear twitch slightly. He watched as the realization of company overcame Paul, and when Jacob noticed him inconspicuously glance over in his direction, the great wolf bowed his head even more, fighting the urge to jump out from the brush and tear Paul's stupid head off.

Paul hadn't even picked up on Jacob's scent until now. He had been so wrapped up in Brandi's scent that he hadn't even realized. But now, now that he knew Jacob was just feet away, watching, _staring _and listening, it seemed their hiking trip suddenly turned that much more interesting.

Brandi continued to hesitate, her heart pounding, and finally she closed her eyes as she shook her head. "I don't like to really talk about it," she forced herself to say. "It just... it–" she heaved her shoulders up before they came crashing back down, and she shook her head again as she lifted her cigarette up to her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled, the cigarette in between her lips, and she inhaled deeply, only to pause suddenly at the lack of smoke that came through. Her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced down to the end of the cigarette, and she touched her fingers to it to take it out of her mouth when she realized it had gone out. _Stupid camel lights_, she thought sourly to herself, but next to her Paul had already drawn out the lighter from his pocket.

"Here," he said as he leaned closer to her just as Brandi had glanced over to him. She began to reach her hand out for the lighter, only to hesitate when Paul leaned in closer. "I got it," he added with a grin, and with her eyes locked on his, Brandi lifted the cigarette back to her mouth. As Paul lit the end of the cigarette for her, she inhaled deeply, finally getting that hit of smoke, and his grin widened as he leaned back into his normal spot. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want," he finally said. Jacob sourly rolled his eyes to himself.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"You don't gotta apologize," Paul assured as he took another drag. "Besides, I had originally meant why you were living with your brother, as in, why not live on your own?"

"Oh," Brandi said, glancing down nervously to watch her cigarette burn. She felt _so _stupid. Like an absent-minded child, trying to look cool in the eyes of a bigger, better, cooler adult. She could only imagine what Paul thought of her. _How embarrassing_ she thought. But at this point what could she do to correct it? She sighed, deciding to put on her best confident facade, but she knew even the most confident mask wouldn't be able to hide how pathetic her answer was. "I just, didn't want to," she said as she shook her head. "I guess I'm not committed enough to get a job and dive in to that lifestyle." She shook her head again as she took a drag from her cigarette.

Unknown to her, the more uncomfortable she began to feel, the angrier Jacob became, and Paul picked up on this. For the first and only time ever Jacob wished he could hear Paul's thoughts, but for now, the best he could do was just keep a watchful eye on Brandi for protection. He just wished there was something he could do to ease her emotional pain...

"Not committed," Paul repeated as he nodded to himself. _Me either_, he thought. Right now, "home" consisted of where ever he decided to crash in the woods in his wolf form, or where he left his small bag of clothes hidden in the brush. "I couldn't wait to get off the 'res," he said.

"Oh yeah, desperate for those changes, huh?" Brandi asked as she glanced over to him. He smirked at her.

"Yeah," he answered. "_Changes_."

"You and Jacob both. How's that going for you?"

"Salida's boring, but-" he took another drag from his cigarette "-so far so good."

Brandi nodded as she took another drag of her own, her heart beat finally starting to slow from its racing state. "That's good," she mumbled.

"Can _Jacob_ say the same thing?" Paul asked with a fresh smirk as he turned fully toward Brandi, able to easily picture Jacob's growling face and prepared stance. Brandi glanced over to him, her eyebrows meeting in the middle, and she shrugged.

"I guess," she said. "He seems to like Salida."

"Where's he staying?"

"I don't know," Brandi answered. She recalled what Jacob had told her, but right now she felt slightly too lazy to tell him. Besides, she couldn't help but have the feeling that Jacob wouldn't appreciate her telling Paul where he lived. Jacob seemed to really hate him. Which reminded her... "Why do you guys hate each other?"

Paul laughed as he flicked away his cigarette. "_I _don't hate him," he clarified. "Jacob's just... touchy. And bi-polar. And he likes to _run away from his problems_," he added louder with a smirk, and Jacob was _certain_ he caught Paul's quick glance in his direction.

_You're one to talk_, Jacob thought sourly to himself. Surely Brandi didn't believe him. At least, he _hoped _Brandi didn't believe him.

"Let me guess," she said with a sigh. "He's _dangerous_, and I should stay away from him, right?"

No..." Paul began slowly, an eyebrow raised. "I didn't say that." He paused, suddenly figuring it out. "Did he say that about _me_?" He laughed loudly when Brandi nodded, and she jumped slightly at the powerful sound. "He _would _say that!"

"_Why_?" Brandi came out and asked, and a shock ran up her spine when Paul locked his eyes on hers. He shrugged.

"He said it best. I'm _dangerous_." He grinned, his eyebrows bouncing up once. "You believe him?"

Brandi continued to look into his eyes, searching for any glint of danger or threat in them. She finally shook her head. "No," she answered truthfully. "I don't."

Paul seemed to be slightly surprised over this. "Well, then," he said with a sigh as he finally stood up. "Guess I gotta try harder."

Brandi followed his movement, and after she put her cigarette out on the log, she followed his actions and stood up as well with a grin. Jacob backed up slowly and lightly from behind the bush, his head still bowed at he started at them through the bushes and trees. "Are we going back?" Brandi asked as another breeze blew past.

"I guess," Paul answered. "Gotta get the risk-taker back home and safe with her brother," he added with a sigh. "Don't wanna get him worried."

"Damn straight," Brandi said. "Otherwise it's _you_ he'll be going after."

Paul laughed at this as he purposely lead them in Jacob's direction. "Bring it on," he threatened. Jacob, once he had backed away far enough, turned around and ran off in the opposite direction, and Paul shook his head to himself as he listened to Jake's retreat. He didn't understand Jake's determination to get Brandi to see just how _dangerous _he was, but now it was just an excuse to get under Jacob's skin. He knew Jacob was still within earshot of them, and he smirked down to Brandi. "So what's it gonna be tomorrow?" He asked.

Brandi shrugged. "Your call," she said again. "I don't know my way around this place any more than you do."

Paul shook his head. "No, you're callin' the shots," he said. "We started off easy today, tomorrow we gotta take it up a notch. Whatever you wanna do, we'll do it."

Brandi let out a breathless laugh as she focused on not tripping over any shrubbery. "Fine," she gave in, though she had no idea where to even begin with deciding on an activity. "Whatever you say," she added with an exaggerated sigh, and she grinned up at him.

"And don't you forget it."

**I'd like to publicly thank **Wolfasaurus **for giving my story a shout-out! And also to everyone who has added this on their alerts and favorites. Please leave me your thoughts!**


End file.
